World Championships

[nccanes]

Well Domi didn't wait long to whine about something else....

Domi rips teammates for playing at the worlds
By Terry Koshan

Playoff horror against the Philadelphia Flyers be damned, the Maple Leafs are going to be well-represented at the world championship, which begins this weekend in Finland.

And there is a chance one Leaf could play for Team Canada.

Defenceman Bryan McCabe, who has played for Canada three times at the world tournament, has been asked to suit up for a fourth time and was to advise the team of his decision this morning. It is believed McCabe was the only Leaf asked to play.

The fact six other Leafs -- Aki Berg and Jyrki Lumme (Finland), Robert Reichel (Czech Republic), Robert Svehla (Slovakia), Phil Housley (U.S.) and Mikael Renberg (Sweden) -- said yes to their nations' pleas to play in the tournament just hours after the Leafs were ousted from the playoffs did not sit well with Tie Domi.

EMBARRASSED

"I hope they all do well, but I can't see how guys can pack up and leave and go play after being embarrassed (in Game 7 against Philly)," Domi said.

"It's an eye-opener. I heard guys talking about it on the plane (coming home from Philadelphia Tuesday night) and I was shocked."

Domi was asked, in a hypothetical sense, if he would have said yes.

He said he didn't think he would go.

Sweden wants Mats Sundin to play, but he might decline because of a possible foot injury that had him wearing a pad on his skate.

Yesterday, Sundin said he had "not thought about playing." Tomas Kaberle turned down an invite by the Czech Republic.

Reichel, whose best hockey has come on the international stage, stood by his decision.

"You do it for your country when they ask you," Reichel said. "It's something special."

General manager/coach Pat Quinn had no trouble with some of his charges' quick decisions to play in the worlds.

"I can name you a number of guys that because they've experienced that disappointment (in the playoffs) and have gone and played internationally, they are much better players than they could have ever hoped to be if they stayed home," Quinn said, listing Keith Primeau of the Flyers and Todd Bertuzzi of the Vancouver Canucks.

"I think it's a big mistake if you have a chance to go (and say no)."

I'm sure the National teams of these countries would be thrilled to know that a player's decision to play (or not) would be determined on how badly/poorly they lost in their last playoff game!? :roll:

[nccanes]

Well Domi didn't wait long to whine about something else....

Domi rips teammates for playing at the worlds
By Terry Koshan

Playoff horror against the Philadelphia Flyers be damned, the Maple Leafs are going to be well-represented at the world championship, which begins this weekend in Finland.

And there is a chance one Leaf could play for Team Canada.

Defenceman Bryan McCabe, who has played for Canada three times at the world tournament, has been asked to suit up for a fourth time and was to advise the team of his decision this morning. It is believed McCabe was the only Leaf asked to play.

The fact six other Leafs -- Aki Berg and Jyrki Lumme (Finland), Robert Reichel (Czech Republic), Robert Svehla (Slovakia), Phil Housley (U.S.) and Mikael Renberg (Sweden) -- said yes to their nations' pleas to play in the tournament just hours after the Leafs were ousted from the playoffs did not sit well with Tie Domi.

EMBARRASSED

"I hope they all do well, but I can't see how guys can pack up and leave and go play after being embarrassed (in Game 7 against Philly)," Domi said.

"It's an eye-opener. I heard guys talking about it on the plane (coming home from Philadelphia Tuesday night) and I was shocked."

Domi was asked, in a hypothetical sense, if he would have said yes.

He said he didn't think he would go.

Sweden wants Mats Sundin to play, but he might decline because of a possible foot injury that had him wearing a pad on his skate.

Yesterday, Sundin said he had "not thought about playing." Tomas Kaberle turned down an invite by the Czech Republic.

Reichel, whose best hockey has come on the international stage, stood by his decision.

"You do it for your country when they ask you," Reichel said. "It's something special."

General manager/coach Pat Quinn had no trouble with some of his charges' quick decisions to play in the worlds.

"I can name you a number of guys that because they've experienced that disappointment (in the playoffs) and have gone and played internationally, they are much better players than they could have ever hoped to be if they stayed home," Quinn said, listing Keith Primeau of the Flyers and Todd Bertuzzi of the Vancouver Canucks.

"I think it's a big mistake if you have a chance to go (and say no)."

I'm sure the National teams of these countries would be thrilled to know that a player's decision to play (or not) would be determined on how badly/poorly they lost in their last playoff game!? :roll:

[Shell]

This is what it probably boils down to:

"Domi was asked, in a hypothetical sense, if he would have said yes. "

He's just mad no one asked him =P

I am sure it is an honor if your country wants you to play for them. I certainly don't blame them a bit.

Whatever happened with Irbe/Latvia/Worlds?

[Shell]

This is what it probably boils down to:

"Domi was asked, in a hypothetical sense, if he would have said yes. "

He's just mad no one asked him =P

I am sure it is an honor if your country wants you to play for them. I certainly don't blame them a bit.

Whatever happened with Irbe/Latvia/Worlds?

[SouthernHockeyChick]

So, how does Domi want them to react? Go and hide their embarassed selves under a big rock? :roll:

[SouthernHockeyChick]

So, how does Domi want them to react? Go and hide their embarassed selves under a big rock? :roll:

[mikus]

irbe played a exhibition game against switzerland on tuesday...latvia won 2-1...irbe was named best player of the game (for latvia)
:) :) :)
and latvia lost against canada yesterday...5-3 :( :sick:

[mikus]

irbe played a exhibition game against switzerland on tuesday...latvia won 2-1...irbe was named best player of the game (for latvia)
:) :) :)
and latvia lost against canada yesterday...5-3 :( :sick:

[Shell]

and latvia lost against canada yesterday...5-3 :( :sick:

With two of those goals scored by Dany Heatley! I love that kid!

[Shell]

and latvia lost against canada yesterday...5-3 :( :sick:

With two of those goals scored by Dany Heatley! I love that kid!

[Lady J]

Are any of those games televised? It'd be a knock out to watch a few. :)

[Lady J]

Are any of those games televised? It'd be a knock out to watch a few. :)

[Turbulence]

I've been looking....but have not found them yet. I'm hoping they'll be on FoxSports World sometime...

Why not play for your country after you've been eliminated? I don't understand Bowtie's point....is there a designated time in which you should sit and pout about a loss?

[Turbulence]

I've been looking....but have not found them yet. I'm hoping they'll be on FoxSports World sometime...

Why not play for your country after you've been eliminated? I don't understand Bowtie's point....is there a designated time in which you should sit and pout about a loss?

[talkingcanes]

is there a designated time in which you should sit and pout about a loss?

Yes. 8 days, 4 hours and 22 minutes. anything shorter and you didn't really care. anything longer is tacky and childish :D ;)

[talkingcanes]

is there a designated time in which you should sit and pout about a loss?

Yes. 8 days, 4 hours and 22 minutes. anything shorter and you didn't really care. anything longer is tacky and childish :D ;)

[SouthernHockeyChick]

is there a designated time in which you should sit and pout about a loss?

Yes. 8 days, 4 hours and 22 minutes. anything shorter and you didn't really care. anything longer is tacky and childish :D ;)

LMAO! Thanks. I needed that!!! :beatup:

[SouthernHockeyChick]

is there a designated time in which you should sit and pout about a loss?

Yes. 8 days, 4 hours and 22 minutes. anything shorter and you didn't really care. anything longer is tacky and childish :D ;)

LMAO! Thanks. I needed that!!! :beatup:

[mikus]

you can watch the highlights here
http://www.hockey.lv/jaunumi/index.html?news_id=1773

[mikus]

you can watch the highlights here
http://www.hockey.lv/jaunumi/index.html?news_id=1773

[Turbulence]

Thanks for the link!

[Turbulence]

Thanks for the link!

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Thanks for keeping us informed mikus! I haven't seen any talk of the Worlds in my daily hockey perusals so I haven't been keeping up. It's nice to hear what our players are up to.

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Thanks for keeping us informed mikus! I haven't seen any talk of the Worlds in my daily hockey perusals so I haven't been keeping up. It's nice to hear what our players are up to.

[mikus]

Thanks for keeping us informed mikus! I haven't seen any talk of the Worlds in my daily hockey perusals so I haven't been keeping up. It's nice to hear what our players are up to.
hm the worlds aren't popular in the us and canada are they?
i love the wc hockey...
go latvia...
and i'd love it to see irbe playing a good game in the worlds....he has played one good yet...

btw. visit the forums from the ihwc website
http://live98.ihwc.net/bbs/index.php

[mikus]

Thanks for keeping us informed mikus! I haven't seen any talk of the Worlds in my daily hockey perusals so I haven't been keeping up. It's nice to hear what our players are up to.
hm the worlds aren't popular in the us and canada are they?
i love the wc hockey...
go latvia...
and i'd love it to see irbe playing a good game in the worlds....he has played one good yet...

btw. visit the forums from the ihwc website
http://live98.ihwc.net/bbs/index.php

[nccanes]

Thanks for keeping us informed mikus! I haven't seen any talk of the Worlds in my daily hockey perusals so I haven't been keeping up. It's nice to hear what our players are up to.
hm the worlds aren't popular in the us and canada are they?
i love the wc hockey...


Well the answer would probably be "not really" for the US anyway, but with the Stanley Cup playoffs going on, WC hockey is way down on the priority list as far as media coverage. Canada is certainly a different story, though.

[nccanes]

Thanks for keeping us informed mikus! I haven't seen any talk of the Worlds in my daily hockey perusals so I haven't been keeping up. It's nice to hear what our players are up to.
hm the worlds aren't popular in the us and canada are they?
i love the wc hockey...


Well the answer would probably be "not really" for the US anyway, but with the Stanley Cup playoffs going on, WC hockey is way down on the priority list as far as media coverage. Canada is certainly a different story, though.

[nccanes]

In a role reversal, the "Canes Line" will be appearing for the Czech team (from the N&O):

SIX CANES AT WORLD EVENT: Jan Hlavac, Josef Vasicek and Radim Vrbata will play as a line for the Czech Republic at the World Championships, which begin Saturday in Finland. Left wing Brad DeFauw will play for the United States, goalie Arturs Irbe for Latvia and defenseman Tomas Malec for Slovakia.

[nccanes]

In a role reversal, the "Canes Line" will be appearing for the Czech team (from the N&O):

SIX CANES AT WORLD EVENT: Jan Hlavac, Josef Vasicek and Radim Vrbata will play as a line for the Czech Republic at the World Championships, which begin Saturday in Finland. Left wing Brad DeFauw will play for the United States, goalie Arturs Irbe for Latvia and defenseman Tomas Malec for Slovakia.

[Jeff O Rocks]

and latvia lost against canada yesterday...5-3 :( :sick:

With two of those goals scored by Dany Heatley! I love that kid!

what a scorer he is...I bet he was grinning that "toothless" smile when he scored... :spin:

[Jeff O Rocks]

and latvia lost against canada yesterday...5-3 :( :sick:

With two of those goals scored by Dany Heatley! I love that kid!

what a scorer he is...I bet he was grinning that "toothless" smile when he scored... :spin:

[lvscolencanes]

Even toothless he is a cutie. I think the tooth missing is what does it...hehe!! :D

[lvscolencanes]

Even toothless he is a cutie. I think the tooth missing is what does it...hehe!! :D

[crazy4canes]

Even toothless he is a cutie. I think the tooth missing is what does it...hehe!! :D

Please leave this kind of stuff in the ladies thread.

[crazy4canes]

Even toothless he is a cutie. I think the tooth missing is what does it...hehe!! :D

Please leave this kind of stuff in the ladies thread.

[mikus]

The groups are...

Group A
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.svk.gif Slovakia
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.ger.gif Germany
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.ukr.gif Ukraine
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.jpn.gif Japan

Group B
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.rus.gif Russia
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.usa.gif USA
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.sui.gif Switzerland
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.den.gif Denmark

Group C
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.swe.gif Sweden
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.can.gif Canada
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.lat.gif Latvia
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.blr.gif Belarus

Group D
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.fin.gif Finland
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.cze.gif Czech Republic
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.aut.gif Austria
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.slo.gif Slovenia

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


the favourites are finland, sweden and the czech republic (sorry not usa :sick: )

[mikus]

The groups are...

Group A
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.svk.gif Slovakia
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.ger.gif Germany
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.ukr.gif Ukraine
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.jpn.gif Japan

Group B
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.rus.gif Russia
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.usa.gif USA
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.sui.gif Switzerland
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.den.gif Denmark

Group C
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.swe.gif Sweden
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.can.gif Canada
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.lat.gif Latvia
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.blr.gif Belarus

Group D
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.fin.gif Finland
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.cze.gif Czech Republic
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.aut.gif Austria
http://live97.ihwc.net/img/teams/flag.slo.gif Slovenia

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


the favourites are finland, sweden and the czech republic (sorry not usa :sick: )

[lvscolencanes]

Even toothless he is a cutie. I think the tooth missing is what does it...hehe!! :D

Please leave this kind of stuff in the ladies thread.

Well I was kinda kidding but sorry!

[lvscolencanes]

Even toothless he is a cutie. I think the tooth missing is what does it...hehe!! :D

Please leave this kind of stuff in the ladies thread.

Well I was kinda kidding but sorry!

[mikus]

LOL your us boys are losing to denmark
current score after one period: 3-1 denmark
LOL

[mikus]

LOL your us boys are losing to denmark
current score after one period: 3-1 denmark
LOL

[mikus]

LOL and know what:
denmark hat 5 (!!!!) shots on goal
usa 24.
miller sucks, he has been replaced...rogles is in now

[mikus]

LOL and know what:
denmark hat 5 (!!!!) shots on goal
usa 24.
miller sucks, he has been replaced...rogles is in now

[mikus]

4-1 denmark :angel: :D

[mikus]

4-1 denmark :angel: :D

[mikus]

it's over

final score: 5-2 denmark
that was a good start for your us boys ;) :beatup:

[mikus]

it's over

final score: 5-2 denmark
that was a good start for your us boys ;) :beatup:

[MeanGene]

ONE OF THE BIGGEST UPSETS EVER! :sad:

http://espn.go.com/oly/news/2003/0426/1545039.html

Denmark hadn't played at worlds since 1949

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Associated Press


TAMPERE, Finland -- In one of the biggest upsets ever at hockey's world championships, the United States lost 5-2 Saturday to a Denmark team playing in the tournament for the first time since 1949.


The Danes were routed 47-0 by Canada in their previous appearance.


Denmark was outshot 44-31, but still managed to win.



The United States had 12 NHL players -- none prominent -- for its opening game. Last year, the Americans won the silver medal at the 2002 Olympics and finished seventh at the worlds.


"They played great and deserved to win,'' U.S. coach Lou Vairo said. "We're disappointed but not discouraged. We can still win two games and finish first in our group. It's possible.''


The United States plays Switzerland on Sunday and concludes the preliminary round Tuesday against Russia in the 16-team event.


Hundreds of boisterous, flag-waving Danish fans celebrated at Tampere Ice Hall, Finland's oldest hockey arena.


Denmark, a country with only about 4,000 hockey players, was backed by Kim Staal's two goals and two assists.


"You don't need 50,000 players to get a good national team,'' Vairo said. "Look at Latvia, they don't have a national league and still play good hockey.''


The top three teams in each of the four preliminary groups advance to a two-group qualification round. The top four teams in each group move to the quarterfinals May 7. The tournament -- played in Helsinki, Tampere and Turku -- ends May 11 in Helsinki.


The United States, coming off a 4-2 loss to Finland in an exhibition game Wednesday, got goals from Jim Fahey, a defenseman for the San Jose Sharks, and Kelly Fairchild, a forward who plays in Germany.


Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres and Chris Rogles were in goal for the U.S. squad.


The Americans outshot Denmark 44-31 but Danish goalie Peter Hirsch made several sparkling saves. Three Danish goals came after breakaways, including the first two in the opening period.


Bo Nordby-Andersen, Jesper Damgaard and Ronny Larsen also scored for Denmark.


"We didn't feel the pressure,'' said Denmark's Mikael Lundstrom, a Swede who started his international coaching career in Kuwait. "We're not here on vacation, we're not here just to learn but to play some good games.''


In the 47-0 loss in 1949 in Sweden, the Danes gave up 13 goals in the first period, 16 in the second and 18 in the third. Every member of Canada's team scored at least three goals.

[MeanGene]

ONE OF THE BIGGEST UPSETS EVER! :sad:

http://espn.go.com/oly/news/2003/0426/1545039.html

Denmark hadn't played at worlds since 1949

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Associated Press


TAMPERE, Finland -- In one of the biggest upsets ever at hockey's world championships, the United States lost 5-2 Saturday to a Denmark team playing in the tournament for the first time since 1949.


The Danes were routed 47-0 by Canada in their previous appearance.


Denmark was outshot 44-31, but still managed to win.



The United States had 12 NHL players -- none prominent -- for its opening game. Last year, the Americans won the silver medal at the 2002 Olympics and finished seventh at the worlds.


"They played great and deserved to win,'' U.S. coach Lou Vairo said. "We're disappointed but not discouraged. We can still win two games and finish first in our group. It's possible.''


The United States plays Switzerland on Sunday and concludes the preliminary round Tuesday against Russia in the 16-team event.


Hundreds of boisterous, flag-waving Danish fans celebrated at Tampere Ice Hall, Finland's oldest hockey arena.


Denmark, a country with only about 4,000 hockey players, was backed by Kim Staal's two goals and two assists.


"You don't need 50,000 players to get a good national team,'' Vairo said. "Look at Latvia, they don't have a national league and still play good hockey.''


The top three teams in each of the four preliminary groups advance to a two-group qualification round. The top four teams in each group move to the quarterfinals May 7. The tournament -- played in Helsinki, Tampere and Turku -- ends May 11 in Helsinki.


The United States, coming off a 4-2 loss to Finland in an exhibition game Wednesday, got goals from Jim Fahey, a defenseman for the San Jose Sharks, and Kelly Fairchild, a forward who plays in Germany.


Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres and Chris Rogles were in goal for the U.S. squad.


The Americans outshot Denmark 44-31 but Danish goalie Peter Hirsch made several sparkling saves. Three Danish goals came after breakaways, including the first two in the opening period.


Bo Nordby-Andersen, Jesper Damgaard and Ronny Larsen also scored for Denmark.


"We didn't feel the pressure,'' said Denmark's Mikael Lundstrom, a Swede who started his international coaching career in Kuwait. "We're not here on vacation, we're not here just to learn but to play some good games.''


In the 47-0 loss in 1949 in Sweden, the Danes gave up 13 goals in the first period, 16 in the second and 18 in the third. Every member of Canada's team scored at least three goals.

[tommy]

In the 47-0 loss in 1949 in Sweden, the Danes gave up 13 goals in the first period, 16 in the second and 18 in the third. Every member of Canada's team scored at least three goals.

My God! That's pathetic! yet hilarious!

[tommy]

In the 47-0 loss in 1949 in Sweden, the Danes gave up 13 goals in the first period, 16 in the second and 18 in the third. Every member of Canada's team scored at least three goals.

My God! That's pathetic! yet hilarious!

[Turbulence]

Everyone had a hat trick? Even the goalies? :eek:
Wish I could have seen that game! Sheesh!

Bet the Danish locker room was fun after that game...

[Turbulence]

Everyone had a hat trick? Even the goalies? :eek:
Wish I could have seen that game! Sheesh!

Bet the Danish locker room was fun after that game...

[Stormbringer]

:eek: Locker room? Heck, I would hate to have been the two goaltenders on that Danish team... :crazy:

[Stormbringer]

:eek: Locker room? Heck, I would hate to have been the two goaltenders on that Danish team... :crazy:

[KevynFan14]

Everyone had a hat trick? Even the goalies? :eek:
Wish I could have seen that game! Sheesh!

Bet the Danish locker room was fun after that game...

My thoughts exactly. :eek2:

[KevynFan14]

Everyone had a hat trick? Even the goalies? :eek:
Wish I could have seen that game! Sheesh!

Bet the Danish locker room was fun after that game...

My thoughts exactly. :eek2:

[Jeff O Rocks]

Bet the Danish locker room was fun after that game...

yep..can you say foul language and furniture being hurled through the air???? :D :eek2: :eek:

...oh and a lot of rubbing of the arse since it got kicked around so much! :roll:

[Jeff O Rocks]

Bet the Danish locker room was fun after that game...

yep..can you say foul language and furniture being hurled through the air???? :D :eek2: :eek:

...oh and a lot of rubbing of the arse since it got kicked around so much! :roll:

[1Irbegirlforever]

So I guess that means Denmark and Canada will face each other next? I've never payed attention to the world championships before....

[1Irbegirlforever]

So I guess that means Denmark and Canada will face each other next? I've never payed attention to the world championships before....

[Shell]

So I guess that means Denmark and Canada will face each other next? I've never payed attention to the world championships before....

Canada played Latvia today (due to the time difference, it was at 8:30 a.m. this morning EST). Doesn't sound like Irbe had a very good game.

Canada moves to 2-0 after beating Latvia
Andrew Podnieks

Team Canada received contributions from every facet of the team and overpowered, if not dominated, the Latvians for most of the 60 minutes this afternoon at the Elysee Arena in Turku. The final score of 6-1 came after the Latvians tied the game 1-1 midway through the first period, but before the end of that period Canada had restored its lead en route to scoring five unanswered goals.

"I'm happy we have four points after two games," coach Andy Murray said afterward. "We played disciplined hockey and smart hockey, but Luongo made some big saves for us, or else it wouldn't have been a 6-1 game."

Canada scored first just 2:25 into the game when Dany Heatley outwaited Arturs Irbe after the goalie had gone down and put the puck in the top of the net while nearly on the goal line. Sergejs Cubars tied the game on a scramble in front of the goal after an erratic shift by the Edmonton threesome of Ryan Smyth-Mike Comrie-Anson Carter. But then Cory Cross beat Irbe on a wraparound to restore the lead. It was a goal that Irbe could have prevented and it came from an improbable source, Cross being more noted for play in his own end than near the goalie at the other end. "Every so often you get a chance to jump in to the play and it just worked out well tonight," he said of his goal. "I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel today after a long flight yesterday, but I was happy with the way I played."

Heatley and Cross combined forces in the second period when a Cross shot from the point was deflected perfectly by Heatley past Irbe to give Canada a commanding 3-1 lead. It was a few minutes earlier, though, that Canada started to take over the game after a superb shift by the Edmonton line marked by cycling the puck and maintaining possession for the better part of a minute and a half. From that point on, the result was never in doubt, but the Latvians continued their relentless defensive play without generating many chances on Roberto Luongo (shots were 31-20 for Canada).

Canada took full offensive control in the third period, creating scoring chances, breaking free from Latvian checks, and scoring three pretty goals. Anson Carter scored after a perfect pass from Smyth that required only having his stick on the ice to redirect the puck past Irbe. Smyth had been checked to the ice, got up, and made the pass, keeping the puck on his stick the whole time. Shortly after, Daniel Briere scored on a lovely move in alone on Irbe, and Comrie completed the romp with a nice shot of his own.

"We had no chance against them in the physical part of the game," conceded Latvian coach Curt Lindstrom, referring to Canada’s strength on the puck and away from it.

"Our coaches did a pretty good job scouting the team," Heatley added, "and we always had the Draper line out against their top three (Aigars Cipruss, Aleksandrs Macijevskis, and Aleksandrs Nizivijs)."

Canada will face a much bigger and different task on Tuesday as it plays a more skilled and more known quantity, the Swedes. Tre Kronor will have Peter Forsberg in the lineup and hopes to have Mats Sundin as well, making this the highlight game of big nation teams in the preliminary round. Latvia will face Belarus in the afternoon game that day to determine which team goes on to the next round and which team fights for survival in the relegation group.

[Shell]

So I guess that means Denmark and Canada will face each other next? I've never payed attention to the world championships before....

Canada played Latvia today (due to the time difference, it was at 8:30 a.m. this morning EST). Doesn't sound like Irbe had a very good game.

Canada moves to 2-0 after beating Latvia
Andrew Podnieks

Team Canada received contributions from every facet of the team and overpowered, if not dominated, the Latvians for most of the 60 minutes this afternoon at the Elysee Arena in Turku. The final score of 6-1 came after the Latvians tied the game 1-1 midway through the first period, but before the end of that period Canada had restored its lead en route to scoring five unanswered goals.

"I'm happy we have four points after two games," coach Andy Murray said afterward. "We played disciplined hockey and smart hockey, but Luongo made some big saves for us, or else it wouldn't have been a 6-1 game."

Canada scored first just 2:25 into the game when Dany Heatley outwaited Arturs Irbe after the goalie had gone down and put the puck in the top of the net while nearly on the goal line. Sergejs Cubars tied the game on a scramble in front of the goal after an erratic shift by the Edmonton threesome of Ryan Smyth-Mike Comrie-Anson Carter. But then Cory Cross beat Irbe on a wraparound to restore the lead. It was a goal that Irbe could have prevented and it came from an improbable source, Cross being more noted for play in his own end than near the goalie at the other end. "Every so often you get a chance to jump in to the play and it just worked out well tonight," he said of his goal. "I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel today after a long flight yesterday, but I was happy with the way I played."

Heatley and Cross combined forces in the second period when a Cross shot from the point was deflected perfectly by Heatley past Irbe to give Canada a commanding 3-1 lead. It was a few minutes earlier, though, that Canada started to take over the game after a superb shift by the Edmonton line marked by cycling the puck and maintaining possession for the better part of a minute and a half. From that point on, the result was never in doubt, but the Latvians continued their relentless defensive play without generating many chances on Roberto Luongo (shots were 31-20 for Canada).

Canada took full offensive control in the third period, creating scoring chances, breaking free from Latvian checks, and scoring three pretty goals. Anson Carter scored after a perfect pass from Smyth that required only having his stick on the ice to redirect the puck past Irbe. Smyth had been checked to the ice, got up, and made the pass, keeping the puck on his stick the whole time. Shortly after, Daniel Briere scored on a lovely move in alone on Irbe, and Comrie completed the romp with a nice shot of his own.

"We had no chance against them in the physical part of the game," conceded Latvian coach Curt Lindstrom, referring to Canada’s strength on the puck and away from it.

"Our coaches did a pretty good job scouting the team," Heatley added, "and we always had the Draper line out against their top three (Aigars Cipruss, Aleksandrs Macijevskis, and Aleksandrs Nizivijs)."

Canada will face a much bigger and different task on Tuesday as it plays a more skilled and more known quantity, the Swedes. Tre Kronor will have Peter Forsberg in the lineup and hopes to have Mats Sundin as well, making this the highlight game of big nation teams in the preliminary round. Latvia will face Belarus in the afternoon game that day to determine which team goes on to the next round and which team fights for survival in the relegation group.

[Shell]

USA lost again today..

USA's power outage continues versus Switzerland

It lacked end-to-end action, but the game between the United States and Switzerland was a closely contested affair. When it was over, goaltender Marco Buhrer was impenetrable as the Swiss won 1-0.

"We had to deal with a lot of pressure over the last two years," said Swiss Head Coach Ralph Krueger. "We have been waiting for a big victory, and this is our first since St Petersburg."

Switzerland took the lead for the second time in as many nights when Mathias Seger sent a slapshot that went high glove side past Ryan Miller. It came at 11:17 of the first while John Gruden was in the penalty box for tripping. It was all the Swiss would need, as Team USA's woes continued. The USA did a better job on defense but, once again, their offense was missing in action despite outshooting Switzerland 27-21.

"We don't have a lot of big time scorers," said captain Kevin Miller. "We have a lot of guys who play a checking role on other teams, or a defensive role. We are having problems feeling comfortable out here on the big surface and getting the offense going. We are getting a lot of chances but it is not coming easy to us at all."

The Swiss came out and employed their defensive system, which Ralph Krueger called "old-fashioned hockey." The Swiss did not get off to as fast a start as they did against Russia but were able to effectively bottle up the Americans.

Switzerland set the tone early when they came out and laid two big hits. Goran Bezina provided a much-needed banging presence in the lineup, making his selection all the more timely.

"With Bezina in the lineup, he gave us a physical presence on the team," said Krueger. "The first few open ice hits were a wakeup call that this will not be easy."

Ryan Miller got the start for Team USA and rebounded from his poor outing to open the tournament. He stopped 20 shots and made some big saves throughout, including a big stop on a wraparound attempt by Sandy Jeannin.

Switzerland almost scored another goal late in the game when Jean-Jacques Aeschlimann let got of a shot that hit Phil Housley's skate as he was sliding to block it. The puck deflected and hit Miller in the hip and began bouncing across the goal line at the same time Joe Corvo was sliding headfirst into the net.

The play was reviewed and no goal was awarded. The 3,887 in attendance roundly booed the decision, though the puck did not cross the line before Corvo knocked the net off the moorings.

Matt Cullen was among those pressing late in the third to get the equalizer, but time ran out on the United States.

"We've gotten so many chances to score but didn't, and that is the name of the game," Cullen said. "It's no excuse, but we're just not finishing our plays."

Despite the outcome, Lou Vairo refused to point fingers. He instead praised his players for their improved effort.

"I don't blame these players because they came here to compete," said Vairo. "It's not easy bringing a team over here because of the three-week time committment."

For the Swiss, Buhrer did what he had to keep the puck out. Even though the USA attack was sporadic, Buhrer stayed sharp.

"It was important making those first few saves," said Buhrer. "I thought the Americans would create more traffic in front, and surprised that there was not as much. I expected more shots, too."

Switzerland evened their record at 1-1, while the United States drops to 0-2.

[Shell]

USA lost again today..

USA's power outage continues versus Switzerland

It lacked end-to-end action, but the game between the United States and Switzerland was a closely contested affair. When it was over, goaltender Marco Buhrer was impenetrable as the Swiss won 1-0.

"We had to deal with a lot of pressure over the last two years," said Swiss Head Coach Ralph Krueger. "We have been waiting for a big victory, and this is our first since St Petersburg."

Switzerland took the lead for the second time in as many nights when Mathias Seger sent a slapshot that went high glove side past Ryan Miller. It came at 11:17 of the first while John Gruden was in the penalty box for tripping. It was all the Swiss would need, as Team USA's woes continued. The USA did a better job on defense but, once again, their offense was missing in action despite outshooting Switzerland 27-21.

"We don't have a lot of big time scorers," said captain Kevin Miller. "We have a lot of guys who play a checking role on other teams, or a defensive role. We are having problems feeling comfortable out here on the big surface and getting the offense going. We are getting a lot of chances but it is not coming easy to us at all."

The Swiss came out and employed their defensive system, which Ralph Krueger called "old-fashioned hockey." The Swiss did not get off to as fast a start as they did against Russia but were able to effectively bottle up the Americans.

Switzerland set the tone early when they came out and laid two big hits. Goran Bezina provided a much-needed banging presence in the lineup, making his selection all the more timely.

"With Bezina in the lineup, he gave us a physical presence on the team," said Krueger. "The first few open ice hits were a wakeup call that this will not be easy."

Ryan Miller got the start for Team USA and rebounded from his poor outing to open the tournament. He stopped 20 shots and made some big saves throughout, including a big stop on a wraparound attempt by Sandy Jeannin.

Switzerland almost scored another goal late in the game when Jean-Jacques Aeschlimann let got of a shot that hit Phil Housley's skate as he was sliding to block it. The puck deflected and hit Miller in the hip and began bouncing across the goal line at the same time Joe Corvo was sliding headfirst into the net.

The play was reviewed and no goal was awarded. The 3,887 in attendance roundly booed the decision, though the puck did not cross the line before Corvo knocked the net off the moorings.

Matt Cullen was among those pressing late in the third to get the equalizer, but time ran out on the United States.

"We've gotten so many chances to score but didn't, and that is the name of the game," Cullen said. "It's no excuse, but we're just not finishing our plays."

Despite the outcome, Lou Vairo refused to point fingers. He instead praised his players for their improved effort.

"I don't blame these players because they came here to compete," said Vairo. "It's not easy bringing a team over here because of the three-week time committment."

For the Swiss, Buhrer did what he had to keep the puck out. Even though the USA attack was sporadic, Buhrer stayed sharp.

"It was important making those first few saves," said Buhrer. "I thought the Americans would create more traffic in front, and surprised that there was not as much. I expected more shots, too."

Switzerland evened their record at 1-1, while the United States drops to 0-2.

[Shell]

and

Czechs open with easy 5-2 win over Slovenia

The only major surprise in the Czech Republic's 5-2 win over Slovenia at Helsinki's Hartwall Arena on Saturday was that the margin of victory wasn't higher. Still, the underdog Slovenians deserved credit for a good effort.

Nine different Czech players had a hand in the scoring. The Czechs outshot Slovenia 45-18, using their superior finesse skills and capitalizing on errors by their opponents.

"We did what we had to do and scored early," said Czech defenseman Pavel Trnka. "If you don't score early against these kinds of teams, you will get in trouble."

Radim Vrbata, Michal Sup, David Vyborny, Jiri Hudler and Jaroslav Balastik had the goals for the Czechs. Marcel Rodman and Gregor Por replied for Slovenia.

"We've been in the top group of the World Championships for two years now, and this is our best result against a top team," said Slovenian Head Coach Matjaz Sekelj. "We have to be happy with that."

"I am happy with our shooting," said Czech Head Coach Slavomir Lener. "We didn't overpass the puck, and our defensemen took the puck to the middle really well."

Slovenian captain Tomaz Vnuk got one of the best chances in the opening two minutes, with a smart solo dash down the middle during his team's first power play. But Roman Malek proved agile in the Czech nets, showing good lateral movement on this and other early Slovenian scoring chances.

At 6:20, Vrbata opened the scoring with a slick move, circling around the net and firing a high shot past Glavic's glove before the netminder could move.

The Czechs were casual in their early play, not hustling back on defense, just looking for easy offensive holes to exploit. Slovenia responded with plenty of stickwork in the defensive zone, trying to limit the creativity of their opponents.

A foul-up in front of the Slovenian net allowed Michal Sup to grab the puck and whip it past Glavic in the slot for a 2-0 lead at 11:01, as the defenders in dark blue collapsed clumsily around their goalie.

Just over two minutes later, David Vyborny scooped up a loose puck in front of the Slovenian crease and waited for the goalie to go down before calmly lifting home a backhand for the third Czech marker.

Fifty-seven seconds into the middle frame, Slovenia's Marcel Rodman snared a loose puck in the slot and fired it past a surprised Malek, cutting the deficit to 3-1.

Vrbata stickhandled off the side boards in the eighth minute of the period, completely deking out Glavic, but then fired the puck through the crease.

Halfway through the game, Malek stretched out with unbelievably flexibility to rob Slovenia of what looked like a sure tap-in by his right post.

The Czechs added to their lead at 12:07, with Jiri Hudler walking in unassisted behind the defense and popping the puck up high to make it 4-1.

Jaroslav Balastik converted a nice cross-ice pass from Martin Straka at 15:24 of the second for the fifth Czech goal.

Glavic stoned Radek Duda on a close-in break in the early moments of the third. Later, he took Jaroslav Modry's high wrister off the shoulder and stopped Jiri Hudler's slapper off a left wing rush, trying to give his team an outside chance to come back.

Slovenia's Gregor Por demonstrated patience and finesse when he took the rebound off his backhand attempt and shovelled it over Malek's left pad for an unassisted tally at 15:11, making the score 5-2.

Boisterous Slovenian fans never relented in the final minutes of the game, eagerly hopping up and down and supporting their team with pure lungpower.

"The Slovenians played good hockey," said Trnka. "It just proves that you have to be ready for every game."

"We got a good warning before the game when we saw the score from Denmark versus USA," added Lener. "That kept our players on their toes."

The Player of the Game for the Czechs was David Vyborny, while Marcel Rodman was honored for Slovenia.

The road doesn't get any easier for Slovenia. Their next game is against Finland on April 28 in Tampere. The Czechs will face Austria in Helsinki that day.

[Shell]

and

Czechs open with easy 5-2 win over Slovenia

The only major surprise in the Czech Republic's 5-2 win over Slovenia at Helsinki's Hartwall Arena on Saturday was that the margin of victory wasn't higher. Still, the underdog Slovenians deserved credit for a good effort.

Nine different Czech players had a hand in the scoring. The Czechs outshot Slovenia 45-18, using their superior finesse skills and capitalizing on errors by their opponents.

"We did what we had to do and scored early," said Czech defenseman Pavel Trnka. "If you don't score early against these kinds of teams, you will get in trouble."

Radim Vrbata, Michal Sup, David Vyborny, Jiri Hudler and Jaroslav Balastik had the goals for the Czechs. Marcel Rodman and Gregor Por replied for Slovenia.

"We've been in the top group of the World Championships for two years now, and this is our best result against a top team," said Slovenian Head Coach Matjaz Sekelj. "We have to be happy with that."

"I am happy with our shooting," said Czech Head Coach Slavomir Lener. "We didn't overpass the puck, and our defensemen took the puck to the middle really well."

Slovenian captain Tomaz Vnuk got one of the best chances in the opening two minutes, with a smart solo dash down the middle during his team's first power play. But Roman Malek proved agile in the Czech nets, showing good lateral movement on this and other early Slovenian scoring chances.

At 6:20, Vrbata opened the scoring with a slick move, circling around the net and firing a high shot past Glavic's glove before the netminder could move.

The Czechs were casual in their early play, not hustling back on defense, just looking for easy offensive holes to exploit. Slovenia responded with plenty of stickwork in the defensive zone, trying to limit the creativity of their opponents.

A foul-up in front of the Slovenian net allowed Michal Sup to grab the puck and whip it past Glavic in the slot for a 2-0 lead at 11:01, as the defenders in dark blue collapsed clumsily around their goalie.

Just over two minutes later, David Vyborny scooped up a loose puck in front of the Slovenian crease and waited for the goalie to go down before calmly lifting home a backhand for the third Czech marker.

Fifty-seven seconds into the middle frame, Slovenia's Marcel Rodman snared a loose puck in the slot and fired it past a surprised Malek, cutting the deficit to 3-1.

Vrbata stickhandled off the side boards in the eighth minute of the period, completely deking out Glavic, but then fired the puck through the crease.

Halfway through the game, Malek stretched out with unbelievably flexibility to rob Slovenia of what looked like a sure tap-in by his right post.

The Czechs added to their lead at 12:07, with Jiri Hudler walking in unassisted behind the defense and popping the puck up high to make it 4-1.

Jaroslav Balastik converted a nice cross-ice pass from Martin Straka at 15:24 of the second for the fifth Czech goal.

Glavic stoned Radek Duda on a close-in break in the early moments of the third. Later, he took Jaroslav Modry's high wrister off the shoulder and stopped Jiri Hudler's slapper off a left wing rush, trying to give his team an outside chance to come back.

Slovenia's Gregor Por demonstrated patience and finesse when he took the rebound off his backhand attempt and shovelled it over Malek's left pad for an unassisted tally at 15:11, making the score 5-2.

Boisterous Slovenian fans never relented in the final minutes of the game, eagerly hopping up and down and supporting their team with pure lungpower.

"The Slovenians played good hockey," said Trnka. "It just proves that you have to be ready for every game."

"We got a good warning before the game when we saw the score from Denmark versus USA," added Lener. "That kept our players on their toes."

The Player of the Game for the Czechs was David Vyborny, while Marcel Rodman was honored for Slovenia.

The road doesn't get any easier for Slovenia. Their next game is against Finland on April 28 in Tampere. The Czechs will face Austria in Helsinki that day.

[mikus]

shell,
i saw the game, and irbe's play was symptomatic of the whole nhl season...he sucked, sucked sucked...he let in 3 or 4 softies
the team wouldn't have lost the game with such a difference when naumovs would have been in goal....



and something else...bye bye us...you're in relegation, you have no chance against russia, sorry :sick:

[mikus]

shell,
i saw the game, and irbe's play was symptomatic of the whole nhl season...he sucked, sucked sucked...he let in 3 or 4 softies
the team wouldn't have lost the game with such a difference when naumovs would have been in goal....



and something else...bye bye us...you're in relegation, you have no chance against russia, sorry :sick:

[Cool Hand Luke]

Thanks for posting that information! Where do you find it, Shell?

[Cool Hand Luke]

Thanks for posting that information! Where do you find it, Shell?

[Turbulence]

http://www.ihwc.net has tons of articles, etc. about the tournament...very good site, Cool Hand Luke, and where I think Shell gets her articles. :spin:

[Turbulence]

http://www.ihwc.net has tons of articles, etc. about the tournament...very good site, Cool Hand Luke, and where I think Shell gets her articles. :spin:

[Shell]

yep indeed, that's the place! :)

[Shell]

yep indeed, that's the place! :)

[mikus]

ihwc.net is a very good site! very good information and live scores and so on...
hey, and visit the message boards as well...(even if there are many people like on ch.com :()

[mikus]

ihwc.net is a very good site! very good information and live scores and so on...
hey, and visit the message boards as well...(even if there are many people like on ch.com :()

[AbNormal27]

i saw the game, and irbe's play was symptomatic of the whole nhl season...he sucked, sucked sucked...he let in 3 or 4 softies :sick:

I watched the game too, and he looked VERY weak. The announcers from TSN said that they had heard that Irbe was using the World's to springboard his career around, but after the display he put on in the 6-1 loss, they figured his time as an NHL goalie might be up.

Aaryn

[AbNormal27]

i saw the game, and irbe's play was symptomatic of the whole nhl season...he sucked, sucked sucked...he let in 3 or 4 softies :sick:

I watched the game too, and he looked VERY weak. The announcers from TSN said that they had heard that Irbe was using the World's to springboard his career around, but after the display he put on in the 6-1 loss, they figured his time as an NHL goalie might be up.

Aaryn

[mikus]

i saw the game, and irbe's play was symptomatic of the whole nhl season...he sucked, sucked sucked...he let in 3 or 4 softies :sick:

I watched the game too, and he looked VERY weak. The announcers from TSN said that they had heard that Irbe was using the World's to springboard his career around, but after the display he put on in the 6-1 loss, they figured his time as an NHL goalie might be up.

Aaryn
his time as an nhl goalie is very likely up...
i don't think that he'll ever find back his form... :sad: :sad:

[mikus]

i saw the game, and irbe's play was symptomatic of the whole nhl season...he sucked, sucked sucked...he let in 3 or 4 softies :sick:

I watched the game too, and he looked VERY weak. The announcers from TSN said that they had heard that Irbe was using the World's to springboard his career around, but after the display he put on in the 6-1 loss, they figured his time as an NHL goalie might be up.

Aaryn
his time as an nhl goalie is very likely up...
i don't think that he'll ever find back his form... :sad: :sad:

[lvscolencanes]

i saw the game, and irbe's play was symptomatic of the whole nhl season...he sucked, sucked sucked...he let in 3 or 4 softies :sick:


Aaryn
his time as an nhl goalie is very likely up...
i don't think that he'll ever find back his form... :sad: :sad:

Thats sad, I wonder what happened to him, he isn't that old is he? I have always been a fan of his, and tried to stay positive hoping he would have a turn around all the time, but it never happened..poor Irbe! :cry:

[lvscolencanes]

i saw the game, and irbe's play was symptomatic of the whole nhl season...he sucked, sucked sucked...he let in 3 or 4 softies :sick:


Aaryn
his time as an nhl goalie is very likely up...
i don't think that he'll ever find back his form... :sad: :sad:

Thats sad, I wonder what happened to him, he isn't that old is he? I have always been a fan of his, and tried to stay positive hoping he would have a turn around all the time, but it never happened..poor Irbe! :cry:

[mikus]

no he isn't THAT old....he could have played one more year...
but now it's over...
he doesn't deserve such a nhl career end...

[mikus]

no he isn't THAT old....he could have played one more year...
but now it's over...
he doesn't deserve such a nhl career end...

[talkingcanes]

no he isn't THAT old....he could have played one more year...
but now it's over...
he doesn't deserve such a nhl career end...

It is a shame that if this is the end of his career it couldn't have been better. unfortunately, things don't always happen the way we'd like or the way we deserve.

on the positive side, he's still a young man and I'm sure will have lots of opportunities here and/or in Latvia in hockey or other areas.

[talkingcanes]

no he isn't THAT old....he could have played one more year...
but now it's over...
he doesn't deserve such a nhl career end...

It is a shame that if this is the end of his career it couldn't have been better. unfortunately, things don't always happen the way we'd like or the way we deserve.

on the positive side, he's still a young man and I'm sure will have lots of opportunities here and/or in Latvia in hockey or other areas.

[Shell]

Monday, 28th April
Czechs find groove in second period, crush Austrians
Peter Westermark

In a battle of soon-to-be World Championships hosts, the 2004 host country really showed the 2005 hosts who rules on the ice.

The Czechs scored three unanswered goals in 67 seconds early in the second period to go from 1-0 to 4-0. After that, all hope was lost for the Austrian team, who went on to lose the game 8-1.

"I thought both teams had their chances in the first period," said Czech Head Coach Slavomir Lener. "Both goalies certainly kept their teams in the game there. But after we got the goals early in the second period, we controlled the game."

Radim Vrbata and Martin Straka both had two goals for the Czechs, and Tomas Vokoun made 26 saves in the game.

Radek Duda, Jaroslav Spacek, Jiri Hudler and David Vyborny got the other Czech goals. Robert Reichel, playing in his first game of the tournament, had three assists.

Daniel Welser scored the lone Austrian goal.

The Czechs sit at the top of Group D with four points, while Austria remains at zero heading into a vital match against Slovenia that will determine who has to play in the scary Relegation Round.

The Czechs applied the pressure in the early going, forcing Austrian goalie Gert Prohaska to be alert from the very beginning.

But it was the Austrians that got the first great chance to grab the lead when some lazy defending from the Czech team gave Thomas Pöck and Oliver Setzinger chances in front of Vokoun, but just like in the game against the Finns, they couldn't score.

And just like against the Finns, the Austrians instead gave up the first goal. The Czechs scored at 10:54 when Pavel Trnka deflected a Jaroslav Modry shot past Prohaska in the Austrian net, only seven seconds after Robert Lukas had stepped out of the box after serving a penalty for holding.

"I'm satisfied with the first period," said Austrian Head Coach Herbert Pöck. "But then the Czechs showed that they are really an excellent team."

"I didn't think the period was even," said Straka. "We had four power plays and they really couldn't do anything."

One minute and 48 seconds into the second period, the public address announcer declared that Gerhard Unterluggauer was to be sent off the ice for "something". That "something" turned out to be a hook. The referee also sent Mark Scusz to the box for roughing. That was the starting point of a live highlight reel of Czech offense that saw the team score three goals in a little over one minute of play.

The Czechs got their fifth power play of the game when the Austrians were called off, and only 25 seconds into the two-man-advantage, Straka scored to make it 2-0 assisted by Reichel.

"We had a little meeting in the dressing room in the first intermission and got the board out and showed everybody what do to on the power play," Straka explained. ""We moved the puck a little better and got a lot of shots on net. That's how you score goals out there."

The Czechs quickly added to their lead only another 22 seconds after the second goal when Radim Vrbata finished off a nice pass from Straka, out of reach for the helpless Prohaska.

The goal feast would not stop yet. At 3:06, Vrbata got his second goal when he fired a low shot from a tight angle that eluded Prohaska in the Austrian net, giving the Czechs a four-goal cushion.

Halfway through the game, Riechel and Straka once again worked their magic as they took advantage of the extra space to manoeuvre with one player from each team in the penalty box. Reichel found Straka with a pass right in front of Prohaska, and Straka fired a shot through the Austrian netmider's five-hole.

Jaroslav Spacek then made it a 6-0 game 11:23 into the second period when he skated in alone on Prohaska after a pass from Radek Duda and found the net, high on Prohaska's stick side.

Michael Suttnig took the place in Austrian net at the start of the third period, and he allowed his first goal of the game after four minutes, when Hudler fired home a rebound from close range with the Czech team on the power play.

The Austrians finally got on the scoreboard at 7:05, when Welser skated in and put his stick on a rebound off a shot from Raimund Divis. But the Austrians were not to be allowed even a measly tie in the third period. Vyborny scored the eighth Czech goal of the game at 10:31, after a nice pass from Hudler.

Czech sniper Milan Hejduk was registered to play for tonight's game, but he was not used.

"There will be some changes when Hejduk steps into the team," said Lener. "We are also hoping to add Tomas Kaberle in that next game."

The Player of the Game for the Czechs was Radim Vrbata, and Austria's best was Christoph Brandner.

Attendance was announced as being 7,724.

[Shell]

Latvia dominates Belarus in shutout win
Andrew Podnieks

Defenceman Karlis Skrastins scored three goals in the second period to lead Latvia to a convincing 4-0 victory over Belarus in a key Group C game. The win means Latvia moves on to the Qualification Round and forces Belarus to the Relegation Round to fight for its life in the top group of the World Championships for 2004. Sergejs Naumovs stopped 19 shots and got the shutout for the Latvians, who finished the round robin with a 1-2 record.

The game started out amid the usual noise drummed up by the Latvian fans, clapping and cheering all game long. Andrei Mezin kept the Belorussians in the game with several big saves, but on a power play late in the period Olegs Sorokins drilled a slapshot that squeezed between the goalie's legs at 16:10 to give Latvia a 1-0 lead.

Latvia continued to press and drew a series of penalties that resulted in three short 5-on-3 situations amounting to more than two minutes, but although they couldn't score, it also prevented Belarus from attacking. In truth, the best chance Belarus had all game came early in the first when Dmitry Starostenko walked in off the point and drilled a hard shot right at Naumovs.

In the second period, Skrastins took over. He scored all three goals in a similar manner to Sorokins in the first, shots from long range through traffic in front. Two were from just inside the blueline and one from the top of the circle, but Mezin could be faulted for, perhaps, only one.

"I was just trying to get the puck on the net," Skrastins said. "We had lots of guys in front and I don't think he (Mezin) saw the shots." When asked about his NHL situation, Skrastins was upbeat. "My agent is still talking to Nashville, so hopefully these three goals will help me."

The three goals in one period by a defenseman is believed to be a World Championships record.

Mezin continued to be spectacular, though, and stopped all non-Skrastins shots, but after 40 minutes coach Vladimir Krikunov replaced him with Sergei Shabanov.

Shabanov was busy, but throughout the Belorussians simply could not mount an attack or any offensive pressure. "We had a great chance to score early in the game," Krikunov acknowledged, "and when we didn't that hurt us psychologically. The game was different from then on."

"I am very happy with the way we played," coach Curt Lindstrom of Latvia said. "It was an emotional game, and I am proud of my players who did such a good job. We were ready to play today."

Latvia now moves into a group with Russia, Switzerland, and Denmark in the Qualification Round in Turku beginning on May 2.

[mikus]

skrastins 3 goals! that's awsome! natural hattrick! :eek:

[MoBigRed]

Kinda says it all that when Latvia gets a shutout, it's Naumovs who is in net. Poor Arch. It's been a great career, but there just comes a time you have to read the writing on the wall.

Good luck getting the groove back, though, little guy.

[Shell]

USA finally won one! :)

USA rolls in relegation with 7-2 win over Slovenia
Jenny Wiedeke

The United States found what it had been missing the entire World Championship: its offense. Team USA easily handled Slovenia in a 7-2 win in the first game of the Relegation Round.

Perhaps it was a sign that the United States had at long last found its scoring touch when Matt Cullen scored just 42 seconds into the game. Amid a scrum down low Cullen scooped up the rebound from a Ted Drury shot for the early lead. Adam Hall and Brett Hauer also scored in the period for the United States, nearly matching the team's offensive output of the entire tournament in just 20 minutes.

"As the games have gone on, we have played better," United Stated captain Kevin Miller said. "It's taken us awhile to get used to each other and we didn't have a lot of the time together that these other teams have had. I still think we could be 4-0 at this point."

Slovenia spent the first period neck-in-neck with Team USA, keeping things close after getting two goals from the unexpected source of second liner Tomaz Razingar. These were the first two Razingar points of the tournament.

"It's very interesting to see how well the world can play hockey," United States Head Coach Lou Vairo said. "Slovenia is a very small but very talented country and I think our eyes have been opened to just how talented so many of these countries are."

Razingar's first goal came as he was on top of a rebound that USA goaltender Ryan Miller failed to control after Tomaz Vnuk ripped a shot from above the face-off circle 7:02 into the game. His second goal was a picture perfect tip in four seconds into the third Slovenian power play of the game.

"I spent three years playing the United States, so I was definitely excited for this game," Razingar said. "But the U.S. has some great players and many NHL guys which made it very hard for us to win today. I was happy to score, but not happy to lose."

Just over a minute into the second period, USA forward Grant Pohl snapped a wrist shot in so quickly that the goal was missed, but ultimately allowed after further review.

There was little doubt of the validity of Team USA's fifth goal. Phil Housley proved just why he's been playing on both ends of the ice when he took the puck end-to-end in a highlight reel goal that he slipped behind Slovenian goaltender Robert Kristan.

"It's actually pretty ironic that I've been playing both positions the last week," Housley said. "When I played on my first national team in 1982, I played three games at forward and four on defense. I'm happy wherever they put me and wherever helps the team get into a groove."

The United States continued to jam when forward Kelly Fairchild took advantage after a Jordan Leopold shot and was right there to collect the bobbled puck for his second goal of the tournament 14:04 into the second period, giving his team a commanding 6-2 lead. Ted Drury notched the only goal of the third period, halting the scoring at seven goals for the United States.

"We had a lot of stress going into this game today," Vairo said. "We got lucky and had the pucks bouncing for us, which did not happen in the other games."

The pressure is now on Slovenia, whose chances of staying in this division next year are looking slim after today's loss. Meanwhile, Team USA lives to play another day with hopes of staying in the elite division for next year's World Championships, and has set up a much-anticipated matchup with Belarus.

"One of the biggest challenges we had today was not letting our guys look beyond this game," Vairo said. "If we win tomorrow, we've won our gold. If we lose, it will be a disaster, but we're big boys and we've been there before. We can deal with it."

[mikus]

wow! they have won against slovenia! :eek: :eek: :eek: :beatup: :D

[Shell]

Since I have yet to hear/see Jan or Josef's name from the Worlds, I wasn't sure how much ice time they were getting.. I just looked at the lines for the Czech's and all 3 Canes are playing on a line together.. While it seems Jan and Big Jo, aren't doing much, it has to be good for them to all be playing with each other and getting used to each other.. cool :)

Czech's beat Ukraine today 5-2. An assist from Jan to Hejduk was our input. (not sure if the lines are reported wrong since it was supposed to be during a 5 on 5)

[Shell]

U.S. won a big one!

Bye-bye Belarus as USA triumphs
The USA put a ton of heat on Belarus netminder Sergei Shabanov
Jenny Wiedeke

Thanks to a powerful power play, the Americans avoided relegation by defeating Belarus 4-2. The win ensures the United States a place in next year's elite division at the World Championships and sends Belarus packing for Division I.

"It's tough because as happy and relieved as I am to have this win, I feel just as bad for Belarus," USA Head Coach Lou Vairo said. "They've worked just as hard as us and it's tough."

Fans in Tampere were treated to the Pohl Power Play Show for much of the game, as forward John Pohl had a goal and two assists which all came with the extra man.

"He's been one of our most outstanding players in every situation," Vairo said. "You can see why the University of Minnesota was able to win a National Championship with him on the team."

The two teams, which have struggled offensively all tournament, combined for four goals in the first period alone.

After exchanging goals in the first 10 minutes, Aliaksei Strakhau gave Belarus a 2-1 advantage, taking advantage of a mishandled rebound by United States goaltender Ryan Miller on a breakaway.

Pohl responded during a two-man advantage, tying the game at two with 24 seconds left in the first period after sliding in a rebound of a Jordan Leopold shot.

"Before this game we asked our players not to take penalties against this team," Belarus Head Coach Vladimir Krikunov said. "As you are aware, they came out and scored three power play goals."

Leopold and Pohl combined again to give Team USA the lead midway through the second period, exchanging roles as Leopold tipped in the Pohl shot on the power play. Pohl was again the helper on an Adam Hall extra-man goal that rattled off the inside post, giving the United States a two-goal advantage at the end of the second period.

The USA outshot Belarus 13-3 in the second period alone, mostly on the power play.

"I put the power play in the hands of my assistant coaches [Bryan Trottier and Jay Leach]," Vairo said. "They worked on it the last few days in practice and did an outstanding job."

With the demotion to the lower division, Krikunov hinted that some changes may be in store for the future of his country's national team.

"Today's game made us see which players we will be able to use on future teams and which ones we will have to say goodbye to," Krikunov said.

Before today's game, Vairo referred to the matchup as his team's gold medal game at these World Championships. While there was no award ceremony after the USA win, hearing the Star-Spangled Banner was enough for Vairo and his team as they escaped relegation.

"This is not an easy tournament," Vairo said. "Every country can play. I'm very relieved and very happy to win this round."

[Turbulence]

At least we won a game... :sad:
I guess we had so few NHLers compared to many other teams, like Canada, for instance. And our NHLers are, aside from Phil Housley, people I have never heard of. Yet the fact remains that the teams that beat us, like Slovenia and the Swiss, aren't exactly awash in talent.
But where are our best players? Some are in the playoffs....but others like Matthieu Schneider and Keith Tkachuk are nowhere to be seen. And I'm sure Mike Dunham could have helped in goal...Oh Well. We'll get 'em in Torino...

[mikus]

SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!!
SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!!
SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!!
SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!! SARAUJ LATVIJA!!!!!!!




LATVIA BEATS RUSSIA 2-1 ARTURS IRBE MAKES 29 SAVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[Turbulence]

Tell us how you really feel, Mikus. :p

:spin: Maybe Archie is in his grove again.

[Stormbringer]

:spin: Awesome...congratulations to Archie and Latvia! :spin:

[mikus]

Tell us how you really feel, Mikus. :p

:spin: Maybe Archie is in his grove again.
I feel great! :D :D :D :D :spin: :spin:
SARAUJ LATVIA!

[mikus]

i think you all don't know the meaning of latvia vs. russia...irbe isn't the most important factor...
latvia vs. russia is like rangers vs. islanders, just more important and harder.
irbe would die to win against russia. and every latvian fan too.
that's the biggest win in latvian hockey history after st. petersburg 2000

[Turbulence]

Never really thought of that aspect....
Good to know that Archie was in net for such an important and memorable game!

[Stormbringer]

Good to know that Archie was in net for such an important and memorable game!

Yes it is...if that doesn't boost the little dude's confidence in playing a season or two more with Riga/Latvia or another NHL team, I don't know what else will. Still wishing Archie the best...

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Wooooo Hoooooo Irbe!! Proud of the little dude.....you know this one meant a lot to him. :spin:

[nccanes]

What a great win. Archie's had such a horrible year (play wise and emotion wise), I'm sure a win like this heals a lot of wounds. Wonderful to hear Mikus. :D

[mikus]

Good to know that Archie was in net for such an important and memorable game!

Yes it is...if that doesn't boost the little dude's confidence in playing a season or two more with Riga/Latvia or another NHL team, I don't know what else will. Still wishing Archie the best...
what do you mean with "another year with riga/latvia"???
he won't play for a team from riga

[mikus]

aaaaaaw...i'm soooooo happy. :spin: :spin: :spin:
this is the pic of the year:
http://live97.ihwc.net/image/gallery/38_LAT_RUS/06.JPG
THAT'S latvian spirit

[mikus]

wow,
czechs republic germany 1-0 after 4 minutes
jan hlavac (radim vrbata)

[Shell]

Very glad for Archie!

Latvia shocks Russia to stay alive in qualification play
John Sanful

On the anniversary of their independence from Russia (May 4, 1990), Latvia fashioned a defensive and workmanlike effort to shock the Russians 2-1 at Elysee Arena in Turku. It is the second time in their history that the Latvians have beaten Russia in World Championship play.

Latvia shocked the Russians with a third-period rally as Vadims Romanovskis scored with 9:29 left in the game to give his team the edge. It is Latvia's second win over Russia at the World Championships in the Qualification Round.

"We knew if we played with patience and discipline and played well defensively we could wait for Russia to make a mistake and could win," said Romanovskis of his team's remarkable effort.

Previously, Latvia beat Russia 3-2 in St. Petersburg at the 2000 World Championships. Like last time, Latvia prevented Russia's most talented players from taking command of the play. Latvia came out and established the tempo, taking Russia's forward lines out of their rhythm.

"In the first two periods we thought we had control of the game," said coach Curt Lundström. "We prevented them from forechecking and prevented their speed from being effective."

This led to a limited number of advantages over the first 40 minutes of the game. The Latvian defenders hurried Russian forwards into turning over the puck. in other cases, forwards were trying to do too much. Ilya Kovalchuk tried on several occasions to stickhandle around Latvian defenders but to no avail. Respect for the Latvian performance was grudgingly acknowledged by Russian players after the game.

"The Latvian defense did not give us much time," said Pavel Datsyuk. "And they were hooking and holding us. We did not create much traffic in front of the net, and all Irbe had to do was just stand there."

Latvia would get one of its best chances to score in the second on a 5-on-3 after Sergei Soin was called for hooking and then Alexei Kaigorodov joined him not long after for high-sticking. Latvia did not get one past Egor Podomatsky in 1:37 of a two-man advantage. Romanovskis and Rodrigo Lavins got shots through, but the best chance was when Vjaceslavs Fanduls was hanging out in front but shot the puck high over the net.

Russian coach Vladimir Plyuschev was hot after the game when talking about the refereeing. Plyuschev felt the officiating left much to be desired and was not afraid to express himself on the subject. He blasted the referee, whom he believed contributed to preventing his team from playing the hockey it was capable of.

"I do not understand why the referee was on the ice and what he was doing there. We had at least ten fouls against us in the third period and none were called. I do not think we underestimated them, but we were not allowed to play today."

What the first two periods lacked but the final period had was two goals and a penalty in the first minute. Leonid Tambijevs drove the puck past Podomatsky on the far side of his net only fifteen seconds into the period.

Russia awoke from its doldrums when Latvia scored and pressed the action on the ensuing faceoff. As in their game against Sweden, Russia was unable to get anything going but used the third period to make something happen. Alexander Frolov made a nifty play to beat a Latvian defender on an inside-outside move and past Irbe for the score. The goal came 0:33 after Tambijevs.

"We were not surprised how we played in the third period," said Romanovskis. "We often lose the lead quickly after going ahead, but we played well all game and knew we could come back and score again."

If Latvia beats Denmark on Tuesday and Russia loses to Canada tomorrow and Switzerland gains at least one point in their next two games, then Latvia goes through to the quarter-finals. Russia needs to tie or beat Canada tomorrow to ensure they advance to the quarter-finals. If they lose, then they lose control of their own destiny and must wait for the results on Tuesday night to find out if they can go through to the next round.

[Shell]

wow,
czechs republic germany 1-0 after 4 minutes
jan hlavac (radim vrbata)

shweet, thanks for the update Mikus!!

Now we just need big joe on the box score! (though there was an article crediting him for his faceoff prowess)

[nccanes]

aaaaaaw...i'm soooooo happy. :spin: :spin: :spin:
this is the pic of the year:
reposted pic removed by Shell
THAT'S latvian spirit

What a wonderful picture Mikus! :spin:

[nccanes]

From the IHWC.net website:

nevermind....Shell beat me to it! :)

[Turbulence]

Now we just need big joe on the box score

42.22 3 - 0 EQ CZE 27. HLAVAC, Jan (19. VRBATA, Radim 63. VASICEK, Josef)

The Czechs 3rd goal was scored with all 3 Carolina players getting points! That Carolina line is sumthin'...

[Shell]

and two goals for Hlavac! :spin:

Czechs roll to shutout victory over Germany
Peter Westermark

Maybe Jan Hlavac has found the form that made him the overtime gold medal hero in 1999.

The winger scored twice and goaltender Roman Malek got the shutout as the Czechs posted a 4-0 win over a German team that could not recover from a start that saw them allow a goal only three and a half minutes into the contest.

"I felt the turning point of the game was when we got that first goal," Czech Head Coach Slavomir Lener said. "After that, we could play without stress. We are very happy that we won this game."

The result sets up a battle for first place in the Group E between the Czechs and the Slovaks on Monday night, while the Finns and Germans go to battle for third place on Tuesday.

Robert Reichel and David Vyborny got the other Czech goals, and Radim Vrbata had two assists.

The game kicked off with a family affair, as German center Martin Reichel won the opening faceoff versus his brother Robert Reichel. From the start, both teams were tight in their own end and forced the attacking team into the corners.

But only 3:35 into the contest, the Czechs took advantage of a giveaway by Andreas Renz in his own zone. Vrbata passed the puck to Hlavac, who raced into the slot and fired a wrist shot over Robert Müller's right shoulder.

"They had fewer chances than we did, as we had 23 shots on net and they only 19," said Hans Zach, Germany's head coach. "They were ice cold when finishing their plays off and we weren't. But it's great for the young guys on my team to get to play against the likes of Milan Hejduk and Martin Straka."

The German chances were few and far between in the early going, and their best opportunity to score was a slapshot from the blueline by Tomas Martinec after five minutes in that forced Malek to make a toe save.

After that, the teams settled down and traded some shots from the outside with each other, but the goaltenders were there to make the save every time.

With a little more than a minute remaining in the period, Andreas Morczinietz was called for holding, but the Czechs could not generate any serious pressure before the whistle sounded.

At 1:23, Radek Duda was sent off for tripping, and 83 seconds later Martin Richter was called for holding, giving the German team a two-man advantage. The Germans went to work on the 5-on-3, trying to get shots from the blueline, but the tactic did not work, as the forwards were not working hard enough to block Malek's vision.

Instead, Reichel increased the Czech lead to 2-0 at 9:05, when he let off an average wrist shot a few feet into the German zone that found its way past Müller, who saw the shot all the way.

The Germans attempted a quick comeback right after the goal, when they created a few chances off quick turnovers. However, Malek continued to be solid in the nets and squashed the German attempts to get on the board.

Eduard Lewandowski came close on a wraparound at 12:28, but he lost control of the puck in the last second, leaving the German frustration to increase further.

Sven Felski was sent off for an unnecessary checking from behind penalty in the neutral zone at 14:16, and the Czechs came inches away from increasing their lead further when Jan Hejda unleashed a heavy slapshot from the right point, but Müller made the save and held on to the puck.

With three minutes left in the period Klaus Kathan got the best chance of the game so far for the Germans as the received a pass right in front of Malek, but he could not solve the Czech netminder with his wrist shot.

The Czechs went to work again in the third period and made it a 3-0 when Hlavac got his second of the game when he fired a shot from the right faceoff circle that found its way to the top of the net, effectively putting the game out of reach for the Germans, who nonetheless refused to call it quits.

Müller redeemed himself a bit in the German net when he made a nice glove save off a booming point shot from Jaroslav Modry, one minute after Hlavac's second goal. After that, the Czechs began firing more shots on the German net, although most was from the outside.

With 13 minutes remaining, Jaroslav Spacek fell to the ice in pain as he took a Christian Ehrhoff slapshot to the ankle. He got to the bench without assistance, but was in apparent pain. Spacek, however, returned to the game after missing only one shift.

Once again showing the Czechs' superior efficiency around the net, Vyborny trickled in a rebound off the boards behind Müller for his team's fourth goal with a little more than ten minutes remaining. The Germans could not find the power to mount another attack on the Czech goal, as they resorted to dumping loose pucks into the zone without many players seriously attempting to hunt them down.

"It's disappointing that we lost and that we allowed them to score on our mistakes," said German forward Marcel Goc. "Especially the fourth goal was a mistake, when the puck bounced off the boards."

Vrbata blew a chance to get his third point of the game when he missed the chance to score on a breakaway, and after that the game wrapped up without any real scoring chances over the last couple of minutes.

At the end of the game, the Czech fans among the 12,152 in attendance formed a caterpillar in the stands, banging drums, waving flags and singing.

Hlavac was the Player of the Game for the Czechs and Christian Ehrhoff was named for the Germans.

[Shell]

Latvia stuns Russia at worlds
May. 4, 2003. 02:36 PM

TURKU, Finland (CP) — They're rocking in Riga.

Goaltender Arturs Irbe of the Carolina Hurricanes stopped 29 shots and then was mobbed by his teammates at the buzzer as Latvia beat Russia 2-1 Sunday in an emotional victory at the world hockey championship.

The stunning victory comes just three years after Irbe stood on his head and Latvia upset a star-studded Russian team 3-2 before 18,000 shocked Russian fans in St. Petersburg.

And for Irbe, Sunday's win was even sweeter after a season from hell in the NHL in which he was twice sent to the AHL and put on waivers.

``It's an unbelievable feeling, it doesn't get any better than this,'' Irbe said Sunday after doing interviews in Latvian, Russian and English with a mob of reporters. ``We've been dreaming about this win for a long time. This one win is worth a whole season to me, a season that went down the drain. This game just redeems all the shortcomings that happened in the season.''

The victory also came on the 13-year anniversary of Latvia gaining independence from the former Soviet Union.

The two teams entered the third period tied 0-0 with Russia controlling most of the play but having difficulty getting to the net in a hard-hitting and at times vicious affair. When the Russians did break through, Irbe was up to the task, looking like a much different goalie than the one who gave up six goals to Canada last Sunday.

``I know it doesn't revive the year but it definitely gives me the feeling of confidence and some accomplishment,'' Irbe said. ``And if there is one game this year to play well, this is the one — by far.''

Irbe and defenceman Karlis Skrastins of the Nashville Predators are the only two NHLers on this year's team.

The Latvian fans were smaller in number than the preliminary-round games, unable to afford the costs of hotels and tickets for two full weeks. Still, there were 500 or so Latvian fans dancing when Vadims Romanovskis, left alone in front of the Russian net, deked out goalie Egor Podomatski for the winning goal at 11:31 of the third period.

Latvia's Leonids Tambijevs opened the scoring 15 seconds into the third period before Alexander Frolov of the Los Angeles Kings tied it for Russia just 33 seconds later.

The Russians have only nine NHLers on their roster but had only three when they won the silver last year in Goteberg, Sweden. Russian League players are among the best in Europe. And the NHLers that are here are of quality, including sniper Ilya Kovalchuk of the Atlanta Thrashers, who plays on the first line with Detroit centre Pavel Datsyuk and Red Wings draft pick and world junior championship hero Igor Grigorenko.

``We have to beat teams like Latvia,'' said a dejected Kovalchuk. ``I've never lost to teams like Latvia or Belarus, it's just awful.

``Our line played just awful tonight and we have to be better,'' added Kovalchuk. ``Myself, I did nothing for the team. Arturs played pretty good, but I don't know...''

Kovalchuk, like the rest of his teammates, had to stand on the blue-line at the end of the game and listen to the Latvian national anthem.

``I'm so glad that this has happened,'' said Irbe. ``This is our Independence Day. What a better gift for our people that have finally been independent and were given this win over the Russian team.''

It helped Irbe ease the painful memories of having to play hockey for the former Soviet Union while Latvia struggled for its independence.

``You know, I had to play with the old Soviet team and stand with all the boys when the Soviet anthem played,'' Irbe said. ``I wasn't excited about it, I'm not going to lie to you. I didn't even look at the flag. But I respected it.

``We were very happy that this time Russian people had to listen to the Latvian anthem.''

It also happened three years ago at the Ice Palace in St. Petersburg, an expensive arena built for the 2000 world tournament. The Russians expected to challenge for gold after putting together a lineup that included Pavel Bure, Alexei Yashin and Alexei Kovalev — but they finished an embarrassing 11th and it all started with the loss to Latvia.

``Quite honestly, that was bigger,'' said Irbe. ``I mean, this is big, don't fool yourself — it's as big as it gets. But the first is always the first, isn't it?''

[StormShaman]

i think you all don't know the meaning of latvia vs. russia.

*ahem* :D :p

[Shell]

wow, rousing victory by the US today..

Farichild nets hat trick in 8-1 USA victory over Japan
Jenny Wiedeke

If your last name started with the letter "F," it was a good day to play for the United States. Chris and Peter Ferraro and Kelly Fairchild combined for eight points for Team USA in its decisive 8-1 win over Japan in the final game of the Relegation Round.

Frustration. That's how the game started for the United States. Japan spent much of the first period swarming around the USA net, applying steady pressure on netminder Chris Rogles' goal. Fairchild found the back of the net early only to have the goal disallowed upon further review.

"This was not an easy game for us," USA Head Coach Lou Vairo said. "Japan had several good chances to score early on. We were lucky that they didn't."

Ultimately, the United States came out on top of the first period with a slim 1-0 margin after Peter Ferraro scored his first goal of the tournament when his twin brother Chris Ferraro provided him with a no-look drop pass.

"Our line has been creating opportunities this whole tournament," Fairchild said. "It just happened tonight that we finally started to get the pucks to take the right bounce."

The pace of the second period was fast and furious with both teams crashing the net for much of the stanza. The teams combined for four goals in the period.

"We really tried to battle early on," Japanese Head Coach Timo Tuomi said. "Our goal was to win one game at the World Championship and this was our last chance."

Another early-period goal gave the United States a 2-0 edge in the second after Brett Hauer ripped a shot from the point on the power play that was tipped in by Craig Johnson. Japan's Tetsuya Saito registered Japan's only goal of the game three minutes later. The Ferraro-Ferraro-Fairchild line continued to dominate as a pair of Fairchild goals gave Team USA a 4-1 advantage.

"The third U.S. goal really broke our necks," Tuomi said. "After that one our players didn't believe that they could win."

Other parts of the alphabet contributed for Team USA early in the third period as Brad DeFauw and Marty Reasoner each netted goals for the surging American offense. The seventh goal was brought to you by the letter "F," as Fairchild earned the hat trick on a power-play goal assisted by both Ferraro's. Craig Johnson split the Japan defense and beat Japan goaltender Juri Igor Niehi with a wrist shot to cap the scoring at eight goals.

For Team USA, tonight's win means that it can return to America with a .500 record (3-3-0) after a long World Championships, even though all those victories came in the Relegation Round.

"Tonight was a pride game," Fairchild said. "We really wanted to go home with a .500 record and win this one for Lou (Vairo) and USA Hockey."

Japan returns home still looking for tha elusive first win in the elite division at the World Championships.

"This time here hasn't been easy for Team USA or Japan," Tuomi said. "We didn't reach our goal and that's a shame."

[mikus]

yeah japan is pretty good :D
congrats that you will play in wc next year :spin:

[tommy]

not too sure about the whole tourney for the US, but it doesn't seem like Miller was the best choice for a goalie... I think he needs some more time.

[Shell]

I think it is very disappointing that more US NHL players don't participate. Mikus - Do you see these games? If so, how is Brad DeFauw playing?

[mikus]

no i can only see latvian games on latvian tv (i taped the russia game!!!!!!)
i can't see other games cause the the ****in pay tv channel "premiere" has the rights for the games :mad:

[Shell]

Tie with Czechs puts Slovaks on top
Peter Westermark

In a tightly played and at times chippy match to determine first place in Group E Monday night, Slovakia rallied from a two-goal deficit to secure a 3-3 tie with the Czech Republic. The Slovaks earned the seeding thanks to their superior goal differential.

Lubomir Visnovsky, Pavol Demitra and Ladislav Nagy scored for Slovakia, while Martin Straka added a pair and David Vyborny a single for the Czechs, who pulled their goalie in a vain final attempt to get the go-ahead goal in the last minute. 12,860 spectators took in the game at Helsinki's Hartwall Arena.

"A very exciting game, unfortunately we took a little too many penalties," said Slovakia's Pavol Demitra. "We needed one point [to win the group], we got that, and our goalie played a great game today."

"It was a very tactical fight for both teams, and everybody knew what styles we were playing," said Slovak Head Coach Frantisek Hossa. "We're very happy we were able to come back in the match. It shows the moral strength of this team."

"Obviously we're not happy with the result, but we're happy with most aspects of our play," said Czech Head Coach Slavomir Lener.

Due to the result, the Slovaks will stay in Helsinki and play the early quarter-final game on Wednesday versus the fourth-place finisher in Group F. The Czechs will travel to Turku and play the late game versus the third-place Group F team.

The game started with neither team attempting a high forecheck, and the first chance to generate some offense fell to the Czechs at 3:07 when Dusan Milo was called for cross-checking.

However, the Czechs could not generate any serious pressure, as a poised Slovak penalty-killing unit iced the puck numerous times. Instead, the first chance of the game came after Milo had stepped out of the box. Slovak goalie Jan Lasak fumbled a soft puck and Martin Straka was quickly there hoping to put it into the net, but the goaltender recovered in time to make the save.

The Slovaks resorted to counterattacking in the first ten minutes, and their first big chance to get on the board came after Miroslav Satan brought a puck through the neutral zone and fed it to Richard Lintner, who pinched into the slot area. Lintner's shot went high and wide of Tomas Vokoun in the Czech goal.

At 11:37, Richard Zednik almost got his stick on a pass that was the result of a beautiful combination play in the offensive zone. It would have been an almost certain goal, since he had a lot of net to shoot at.

Slovakia's Miroslav Hlinka was sent to the penalty box for a hook behind his own net at 15:35, and the Czechs got their 1-0 lead when some sloppy defending from Slovakia's defenders allowed Martin Straka to bang home a rebound.

With David Vyborny in the box for hooking, the Slovaks got their chance for a swift reply, and it was only inches away as Jozef Stumpel got his stick on a rebound from the end boards, but he hit the outside of the net. The power play was then cut short with one minute left in the period when Lintner was forced to hook down Jaroslav Hlinka, who had the chance to go on a breakaway.

The Slovaks tied the game 3:27 into the second period with a power play goal of their own when Lubomir Visnovsky unleashed a shot from the high slot that bounced off two Czech players before finding its way through Vokoun and into the net.

Seven minutes into the period, Vladimir Orszagh was called for checking from behind and got a minor as well as a ten-minute misconduct. Forty seconds into the power play, Martin Straka got his second goal of the game after Tomas Kaberle found him with a beautiful long pass that sent the center on a breakaway. Straka's wrist shot was high and crisp and beat Lasak on the stick side.

Halfway through the game, the Czechs buzzed around Lasak's net and Vyborny lifted a puck from close range into the roof of the net to make it a 3-1 game. Again, the goal was scored after the Slovak defense had not been aggressive enough on the Czech players around them, as they were caught fishing for the puck.

At 11:35, Martin Strbak was called for tripping, but the power play was nullified only ten seconds later when Jaroslav Modry was caught holding back Satan, who had attempted to race in towards the Czech goal. On the ensuing 4-on-4, Robert Reichel came close to increasing the lead even further, but Lasak was able to save his surprising shot from an angle.

After the teams had traded chances, Czech Martin Richter was called for checking to the head with less than four minutes left in the period, and Pavol Demitra seized the opportunity to make it a 3-2 game 48 seconds later when he let loose a wrist shot from the point that found its way past a screened Vokoun.

"It was just a case of being at the right place at the right time," said Demitra. "We had Nagy standing in front of their goalie and I don't think he saw anything, but that's how you score the goals."

Only 24 seconds into the final period, Petr Kadlec was called for tripping Bondra, and the Slovaks got a chance to score their third power play goal and tie the game. Robert Svehla had the best chance when he raced in to the far post to accept a pass from Satan, but the puck bounced off his stick.

Five minutes into the third period, Visnovsky was sent to the sin bin for hooking, but the power play was easily killed off. After 8:08, Radek Duda tripped Zigmund Palffy from behind, and Palffy fell awkwardly into the boards behind the Slovak net. Duda was given a highly unusual five-minute major for tripping, as Palffy had trouble getting up, but he immediately returned to play the next shift on the power play.

"The crucial moment in the game was the penalty to Radek Duda," said Slavomir Lener. "That really took the momentum out of our team. You can't take such a penalty in the offensive zone."

Two minutes into the man advantage, Ladislav Nagy slipped a puck through Vokoun's legs, but the puck hit the post and the score remained unchanged. The Slovaks continued to pour on the pressure, but their passes were often slightly misplaced, which stopped the team from generating high-rate scoring chances.

"It's tough playing five minutes shorthanded," said Straka. "It takes energy out of the guys who have to kill the penalty, and that's what happened for us at the end of the game."

The Slovaks instead got their liberating third goal when they tied the game with six minutes remaining. Miroslav Hlinka won a faceoff back to Lintner who passed the puck to the unmarked Nagy in the slot. He one-timed a low shot past Vokoun.

The Czechs got their great opportunity to grab the lead once again when Ivan Majesky was sent to the box for boarding with five minutes left of the game. The Czech defensemen unleashed a couple of shots from the blueline, but it never presented any serious threat towards Lasak's goal.

With one and a half minutes left, the Czechs pulled Vokoun for an extra skater in search of a goal that would give them the win in the group. At 19:17, Tomas Kaberle had a fantastic chance to get the winner when he accepted a cross-ice pass, but Lasak was there to make the save.

"I have a lot of respect for Tomas Vokoun, his family and mine are great friends," said Lasak who played second fiddle to the Czech with the Nashville Predators for parts of this season. "He's a great goalie, and the guy I want to play like."

"We hope this is a good wakeup call for us," said Lener. "We'll hope to put it together in the quarter-finals."

The Player of the Game for the Czech Republic was Martin Straka, while for Slovakia it was Pavol Demitra.

At the conclusion of the game, the IIHF anthem was played in lieu of either national hymn, since this was a tie.

[nccanes]

Defauw scores....

U.S. wins, Canada reaches quarterfinals

TSMPERE, Finland, May 5 (UPI) -- Kelly Fairchild recorded a hat trick Monday to lead the United States to an 8-1 rout of Japan in the relegation round of the World Hockey Championships.

Canada secured a spot in the quarterfinals with a 5-2 victory over Russia, which is winless in three qualifying round games and needs Sweden to defeat Switzerland on Tuesday to join Canada in the quarters.

If the Swiss win and Latvia defeats Denmark, Switzerland and Latvia advance.

Already assured of a 13th-place finish and a spot in next year's tournament, the United States recorded its best offensive effort at the World Championships since defeating Norway, 9-4, in 1990.

Peter Ferraro got the U.S. going with his first goal of the tournament 3:13 into the game and Craig Johnson of the Los Angeles Kings also got his first tally of the championships.

Fairchild made it 4-1, scoring twice in a 2:43 span late in the second period.

The Americans sealed the victory in the third period with four goals in less than 5 1/2 minutes. Carolina Hurricanes rookie Brad DeFauw and Marty Reasoner of the Edmonton Oilers struck before Fairchild completed his hat trick.

Chris Rogles made 28 saves for his win of the tournament as the U.S. outshot Japan, 44-29.

Shane Doan of the Phoenix Coyotes and Kirk Maltby of the Detroit Red Wings each scored twice for Canada, which was coming off disappointing efforts in a tie with Denmark and a win over Switzerland.

Daniel Briere of the Buffalo Sabres tipped a shot past Egor Podomatski just under eight minutes into the second period to put the Canadians in front for good, 5-2.

In a Group E game, Slovakia rallied from a two-goal deficit and tied the Czech Republic, 3-3. Slovakia earned the top spot in the group based on goal differential.

Kings defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky, Pavol Demitra of the St. Louis Blues and Ladislav Nagy of the Coyotes scored for the Slovaks, while the Czechs got two goals from Martin Straka of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Slovaks will play their quarterfinal game Wednesday in Helsinki against the fourth-place team from Group F, while the Czechs face the third-place team from Group F in Turku.

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Yeah!! Go Brad!!

Thanks for posting Eileen!

[Turbulence]

Go Brad! Glad he got into the scoring action...and glad the ol' boy is representin' the country well. Good win for the Yankees...

Anyone know who Brad's linemates have been?

[Shell]

Anyone know who Brad's linemates have been?

well, in that last game, when he got his goal Francis Bouillon (Montreal Canadiens) and John Pohl (Worcester Icecats) had the assists.. He also had an assist on Marty Reasoner's (Edmonton Oilers) goal as did John Pohl (again)

[canadianinmd]

really puts it to Russia beating them 5-2.

-He shoots he scores, Henderson has scored for Canada. Henderson right there, in front of the net.

[Alicia]

Latvia aims to stay alive with win over Denmark

This goal got the ball rolling for the never-say-die Latvians

Two goals by Alexander Kercs helped propel Latvia to a 4-2 win over Denmark, setting up a showdown between Switzerland and Sweden this evening. A Russian contingent sat helplessly watching at Turku's Elysee Arena, knowing their fate in terms of moving on to the next round was not in their control.

A win by Denmark would haved assured Russia of moving through to the playoff round, but the Latvian win made this evening's game between Switzerland and Sweden all the more important for Russian Head Coach Vladimir Plyuschev and his team of hopefuls.

As the final buzzer sounded, the Russian contingent looked at each other and shrugged. No words were needed. Latvia now has four points and will advance with a win or tie by Switzerland.

Latvia had to come from back after being down 2-1 to score three unanswered goals to win it. Denmark, as per their trademark in this tournament, was competitive and stayed in the game until the Latvians broke it open.

"I do not know why we played a bad game, but we did," said Curt Lindström. "Maybe it was nerves but we had a low level of intensity. However, now we have a chance to go to the quarter-finals."

Latvia put three quality chances on goal in the first 1:30, suggesting that it might be a long afternoon for the Danes, but that was about as tough as it would be early on. Latvia poured on 13 shots in the period, but went into the locker room without having scored.

Things opened up in the second when Alexander Kercs batted the puck past Peter Hirsch. Karlis Skrastins threw the puck in front where it was deflected in the air and as it was coming down, Kercs knocked it in. The goal was reviewed for a possible high stick, but upon further inspection the play stood and Kercs had his first of the tournament at the 4:03 mark.

Denmark struck back when Mike Grey scored at 15:50. Dan Jensen took a shot from the point that Irbe saved at first. But he let up a big rebound to Lars Molgaard, whom he stopped as well before Grey put in a second rebound.

A little over a minute later, Lasse Degn was also able to score. Irbe couldn't handle a Jesper Duus shot that landed on Degn's stick, and the Dane put it in for a 2-1 lead.

Latvia, sensing the game was getting away from them, played with a little more of an edge and finished their checks with a little something extra at times. At 13:45 Aleksejs Sirokovs tied it and that was a good sign heading into the third.

"We talked about not playing as well as we could have," said Arturs Irbe. "The early goal in the third period gave us a lot of confidence."

Denmark remained incredibly poised despite missing two of their best players, Kim Staal and Jens Nielsen, both of whom sat out due to injuries.

"After two periods I felt we played according to plan but we let two easy goals in the third," said Mikael Lundström. "We were tired and were without two players so we finished with just three lines."

Gregorijs Pantelejevs notched the game-winner at 10:50 of the third. He was off to Danish goalie Peter Hirsch's left when he let the shot go, and Hirsch never saw it as it blew past the defenseman and him. It was Pantelejevs' first of the tournament and he picked an absolutely crucial time in which to score.

Alexander Kercs added another to put the game out of reach, and the Danes, who held on as best they could, were forced to go down in defeat.

Everything comes down to the final game of the group. If Switzerland gets a point tonight against Sweden, they finish third in Group F and Latvia will advance based on having beaten Russia. If Sweden wins, there will be a three-way tie for second with the deciding factor coming down to goal differential, which favors Russia and Switzerland.

John Sanful

[mikus]

**** latvia is out, only because sweden has beaten switzerland.
the russians are lucker, latvia would have deserved the quarterfinals

[Shell]

Some pics of our boys from the Worlds..

http://live97.ihwc.net/image/gallery/02_CZE_SLO/01.jpg

http://live97.ihwc.net/image/gallery/43_SLO_CZE/02.jpg

http://live97.ihwc.net/image/gallery/43_SLO_CZE/04.jpg

http://live97.ihwc.net/image/gallery/02_CZE_SLO/03.jpg

http://live97.ihwc.net/image/gallery/09_CAN_LAT/01.jpg

http://live97.ihwc.net/image/gallery/09_CAN_LAT/03.jpg

http://live97.ihwc.net/image/gallery/15_CZE_AUT/03.jpg

http://live97.ihwc.net/image/gallery/25_USA_SLO/06.jpg
(not a great pic of poor Defauw, but the only one I saw)

http://live97.ihwc.net/image/gallery/38_LAT_RUS/06.JPG

http://live97.ihwc.net/image/gallery/39_CZE_GER/02.jpg

http://live97.ihwc.net/image/gallery/46_DEN_LAT/01.jpg

[Jeff O Rocks]

Thanks for posting Shell...great to see Canes STILL on the ice!! :cry:

..and what is Brad doing?? blowing his nose or picking up his teeth? :beatup:

[Shell]

Judging by his teammate behind him picking up his stick, I'd have to go with B - Picking up his teeth :crazy: :beatup:

The one of Jan scares me LOL

[Jeff O Rocks]

Judging by his teammate behind him picking up his stick, I'd have to go with B - Picking up his teeth :crazy: :beatup:

The one of Jan scares me LOL

I would go with B too....and that pic of Jan he looks like he wants to high stick anyone who gets close to him!! :D :crazy:

[Alicia]

Is it just me, or do they look a bit awkward in those unis? :crazy:

[nccanes]

Is it just me, or do they look a bit awkward in those unis? :crazy:

LOL BatesB - I thought you said they look a bit "backward"!? ;)

I keep getting distracted by those placards on their helmets. Does that have a sponsor's name or the country name?

[Alicia]

Is it just me, or do they look a bit awkward in those unis? :crazy:

LOL BatesB - I thought you said they look a bit "backward"!? ;)

I keep getting distracted by those placards on their helmets. Does that have a sponsor's name or the country name?

No, it says "Hi! My name is..." :D ;)

[Shell]

The placards are sponsors.. most say Bauhaus which appears to be similar to a Home Depot and no relation to Peter Murphy ;)

The uni's may be awkward just because they are brand new and usually made the day before the game:

A behind-the-scenes look at jerseys
Peter Westermark

At an event the size of the IIHF World Championships, there is much organizing to be done behind the scenes. One such thing that gets taken for granted, but requires a lot of hard work from the people involved, is the uniforms that the players wear at the tournament.

Player jerseys are done in a long-term cooperation between the IIHF and Nike, and it is a process that starts in the summer before each season. Kent Angus, assistant manager of tournament apparel, showed up along with his staff at the World Championship venue two weeks before the start.

"First we set up a room to work in and made sure that all the sewing machines were working and so on," said Angus. "We unpacked about 1,100 jerseys at the start and had a room full of them."

Each team in the tournament gets a minimum of 30 jerseys, home and away, which is the reason for the high total. At the busiest period, eleven people worked on making the uniforms ready. Now, as the number of players that are added each day decreases, there are just two seamstresses working at the Hartwall Arena.

Considering the numbers of jerseys that have to be name-barred and numbered, a standard has been set for the teams to follow. The nine countries whose rosters the least affected by the NHL playoffs provide their information about players in good time before the tournament.

"Those teams change too, but in all they are pretty stable," explained Angus.

The seven countries that are most affected by the NHL playoffs and get their rosters set at a later date are requested to name 12 numbers that will be used in advance.

"We never ask them for names, but they can identify popular numbers that are going to be used," said Angus. "Eighteen is a popular number, for instance."

The jersey team is situated in a room on ice level at the Hartwall Arena, fairly close to the dressing rooms. In total, since coming to Helsinki, they have done a full 350 jerseys on site, with each taking about 30-35 minutes to prepare. They have also handled another 350 jerseys that had to be name-barred, corrected or changed in any way as the rosters have changed.

Many teams also want their own style to go with the jersey, whether that involves the way the stripes go across the uniform or how the mesh is done. This is known as "silhouettes". There are seven different fonts used on uniforms and five different types of silhouettes currently in use.

In handling so many different jerseys of different types, time is of the essence, and the overall feeling is that it has been a good working relationship.

"Basically, we want the teams to give us information as soon as possible," Angus said. "Even if a player has not been formally added to their roster, they can give us the opportunity to build a jersey in time for the game. Then they can add the player, and the jersey's done.

"All teams are good, there's a great level of cooperation," he added. "Everybody wants the same thing. Nobody wants the last minute fire drill. If you can do the jersey one day ahead of the game, that's one less thing on the equipment manager's plate."

"The timing is really important," concurred Federico Saviozzi, director of special projects with the IIHF. "Occasionally teams numbers and rosters are like a big secret, and we end up with a doctor-patient relationship."

The job does not always stop there. Jerseys can get torn by skates, and if they do; the jersey team is right on the job. If the jersey can be fixed, they fix it. If the rip is too big, a new jersey is done.

"Is it busy and hectic? Yes," said Angus. "But in the big picture, things have been going very well."

[Turbulence]

I'm suprised Archie didn't wear his shiny new Latvian Flag helmet...
Nice seeing some of the younger 'Canes out there on the ice...maybe it'll help them for next year.

[Shell]

Czechs blank Russia, meet Canada next
John Sanful

The Czech Republic avenged last year's quarter-final loss to Russia by beating their Eastern European rivals 3-0 to advance to the semi-finals of the 2003 IIHF World Championships, where they will face Canada Friday.

The Czech offense has averaged over four goals per game in the tournament, but their defense has been utterly stingy in giving up a mere nine goals. The Russian forwards, though talented, got a lesson in textbook Czech defense in this game.

"We played exactly the way we wanted to, were aggressive and our forecheck was excellent," said Head Coach Slavomir Lener. "Our first line did an excellent job against their first line."

Russian flags were unfurled throughout Elysee Arena with many of their fans among the 6,401 in attendance, but their support, even strong until the end, could not rally the team.

The opening period was a fast skating affair with plenty of transition hockey. Pavel Datsyuk showed some good hands in trying to create offense, but the Russians could not convert any of their shots as Tomas Vokoun played well in net.

The Czechs, however, would capitalize on their best chance of the game. Tomas Kaberle was called off for hooking at 14:39, sending the Russians on their first power play of the game. The Russians were showing some signs of life that were not visible over the last three games.

They got several shots through but Vokoun was up to the task. Still with the man advantage, Sergei Gusev couldn't handle the puck, which was chipped past him by Milan Hejduk who was off to the races with Jan Hlavac. They skated 2-on-1 in on Maxim Sokolov and Hlavac converted a nice pass for the 1-0 lead.

"I think we were better prepared than they were," said Hlavac. "The first goal was huge for us. It will be different next game because the Canadians will definitely be ready to play, and it will be a bigger game because we will both be playing for the chance for a medal."

Even though the Czechs were much leaner defensively, the Russians applied pressure when they did get a bounce or made a pass that turned into offense, but each time Vokoun was there. Sometimes their chances were kept on the perimeter. Vladimir Antipov failed to cash in a chance in the crease as Vokoun smothered the puck under his pads.

The Czechs scored two power play goals in the second period, including Hejduk's fourth of the tournament, while Ilya Kovalchuk was in the penalty box for taking an ill-timed interference penalty in the offensive zone.

At 14:55 Alexander Frolov was sent off for holding and 1:33 later Jaroslav Hlinka scored as Jaroslav Spacek sent a cross-ice pass that caught Hlinka's stick as he stood all alone to Sokolov's left side. He rocketed the puck past the goalie, who was not sharp, to make it 3-0 at 16:28.

After the goal Plyuschev pulled Sokolov in favor of Egor Podomatsky.

"The Czechs deserved to win and took advantage of their chances tonight, but I don't understand why we could not score in four games here," said a bewildered Plyuschev.

In the third the Czechs continued to press the action as the Russians were unable to generate anything, and Russia's tournament hopes came to an end. The great youth movement that was designed to lead the team into the future turned out to be not ready for prime time. The Russians would have to look no further for a winning example than the Czechs, who manage to integrate NHL and Extraleague players together and capture medals.

When asked what this result means for the Russian youth movement, Plyushchev said: "I never said this was the team of the future, but this will be the team that plays for us in 2004 at the World Cup and in 2006 at the Olympics."

Draw your own conclusions...

[mikus]

wow, canada has crushed czech republic 8-4:


Canada advances to finals with 8-4 win

Dany Heatley scored three goals, two on beautiful passes from Daniel Briere, as Canada romped to an 8-4 win over the Czech Republic today at the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki. Canada advances to the final versus the winner of the Slovakia-Sweden game.

With the result, Canada guarantees itself at least a silver medal, the nation's best result at the World Championships since 1997, when it won gold the last time the tournament was held in Finland.

Canada got scoring from six different players, but the game was closer at times than the score might indicate. The team held a 3-0 lead but saw that slip away early in the third when Milan Hejduk tied the score.

Kyle Calder restored the lead a minute later and Canada was never in trouble after that.

[Jeff O Rocks]

Dany Heatley is a freakin scoring machine...look out for Atlanta in the next few years...IF they can keep him! :eek2:

[crazy4canes]

Heatley is definitely a beast. He scares me when they play the Canes. :eek2:

[mikus]

Heatley is definitely a beast. He scares me when they play the Canes. :eek2:
a beast with nice teeth... :D
yes indeed he's a scoring machine²...
i don't think atlanta can keep him...
i just hope he won't go to detroit or toronto

[Jeff O Rocks]

Heatley is definitely a beast. He scares me when they play the Canes. :eek2:
a beast with nice teeth... :D
yes indeed he's a scoring machine²...
i don't think atlanta can keep him...
i just hope he won't go to detroit or toronto

not true on the the first thing you said.. ;) :D ...but the rest, I whole-heartedly agree with!! :spin: JUST SAY NO TO DETROIT OR TORONTO...that would be sickening! :sick:

[Canesluver]

C'mon now. . . . Heatley's every dentist's dream!! :beatup:

[SouthernHockeyChick]

C'mon now. . . . Heatley's every dentist's dream!! :beatup:

Or nightmare maybe..... :eek2:

[mikus]

C'mon now. . . . Heatley's every dentist's dream!! :beatup:

Or nightmare maybe..... :eek2:
that's the occupational hazard.....for both..heatley AND the dentist :D:D:D


edit: detroit is same like real madrid (you're an ignorant when you don't know real madrid :D) in soccer

[Shell]

yep, I figured Canada would win for sure, but was still hopin for our boys! oh well. They can still try for bronze.

http://live97.ihwc.net/image/large/2012.jpg
That picture of Heatley scares me! Good on him for his hat trick though!

[Jeff O Rocks]

Shell that is scary..I didn't even know it was him...I guess it is cause I couldn't see his hair hanging out of his helmet!! :crazy:

[mikus]

hair hanging out of his helmet!! :crazy:that reminds me....anson carter looks sooo funny with his dreadlocks.....:D:D

[mikus]

World Champion in hockey 2003:
Canada.
gratz http://www.fifastadt.de/images/smilies/prost.gif

[Shell]

Congrats to Canada!

Carter crowns Canada with dramatic OT winner over Sweden

Anson Carter scored the dramatic and controversial winning goal at 13:49 of overtime as Canada captured the gold medal with a 3-2 victory over Sweden in Helsinki after rallying from a 2-0 deficit. It was Canada's first gold medal since triumphing the last time the tournament took place in Finland, in 1997.

Carter burst down right wing and let go with a slapshot that went off Mikael Tellqvist's glove and dropped to the ice. Carter picked up the puck and went on to wrap it around past the goalie's skate, celebrating wildly. His teammates leaped off the bench to join him, convinced they'd won.

However, in a highly unusual spectacle, the goal was subjected to video review, and the celebration had to be postponed while the referee held a lengthy phone conference and the crowd's impatience grew. Finally, he turned and pointed to center ice and the Canadians leaped off their bench again, this time to celebrate with full conviction.

After exchanging goals late in the first period and a scoreless second, Sweden had held a 2-1 lead going into the last period. Mathias Tjarnqvist and P-J Axelsson scored for Sweden, while Horcoff notched the first Canada goal.

Canada's persistent third period attack finally paid off as Shane Doan fired a slapshot from the faceoff circle that trickled in short side on Mikael Tellqvist and tied the game at two with 11 minutes left in the game. Roberto Luongo and Mikael Tellqvist both came up huge in the last two minutes of regulation, each stonewalling one-on-one breakaways by Mats Sundin and Shane Doan that could have determined the gold medal.

The 4-on-4 overtime was tense and thrilling.

Peter Nordstrom had a good early chance, sweeping the puck through Luongo's crease as he cut in off the right side in the first minute of overtime.

Tellqvist had to be ultra-sharp when he foiled Craig Rivet's point shot with a left toe save at 1:34.

At 3:28, it was Luongo's turn for brilliance, as Nordstrom cut in across the blueline going left and wristed a shot that Luongo grabbed with his glove.

Kris Draper zoomed in off right wing and around the net off for a wraparound attempt that almost worked at the 4-minute mark, and two minutes later Henrik Zetterberg managed a nifty backhander that Luongo stopped.

In the thirteenth minute, Hardy Nilsson sent Sundin and Forsberg out together, and they combined on an attempt deep in the Canadian end that saw Sundin get a good wraparound attempt.

Then came Carter's winner.

The Player of the Game for Sweden was P-J Axelsson, while Carter took the honors for Canada.

[Shell]

Slovaks beat rival Czechs in bronze battle
Lucas Aykroyd

Three was the magic number for Slovakia.

With a 4-2 win over the Czechs in the game for third place, the Slovaks captured their third IIHF World Championship medal in the last four years. Peter Bondra scored the winner 5:20 into the second period as 13,324 fans at Helsinki's Hartwall Arena enjoyed bronze medal action.

It was the second straight year that a Bondra goal earned Slovakia a medal, as he was also the hero in last year's gold medal win over the Russians. Slovakia's previous medal was silver from a 5-3 final game loss to the Czechs in 2000.

The Slovaks simply would not be denied. And just like in the 2002 gold medal game, it was their core of top NHL snipers that came through in the crunch.

Also scoring for Slovakia were Miroslav Satan, Josef Stumpel and Pavol Demitra.

It was a particularly meaningful victory for Slovakia due to its long shared history with the Czechs. Slovakia only became an independent nation in 1993, but it has quickly established a proud tradition of its own in hockey.

Jan Hlavac and Robert Reichel had the goals for the fourth-place Czechs.

Barring any huge outbursts by Peter Forsberg, Mats Sundin, Dany Heatley or Daniel Briere in the gold medal game, Zigmund Palffy and Josef Stumpel ended up tied for the final tournament lead in points with 15 apiece. Palffy had seven goals and eight assists, while Stumpel had four tallies and 11 helpers.

The teams fenced back and forth in the early stages of the first period, neither side establishing a clear advantage. The "no gold medal for us" hangover was almost palpable.

However, the Slovaks began to show their greater desire as time went on, eventually outshooting the Czechs by a 10-4 margin in that opening stanza.

The vaunted Slovak power play got an opportunity at 6:08 when Czech defenseman Jan Hejda tripped Zigmund Palffy, but they didn't generate any quality scoring chances against Tomas Vokoun in the Czech goal.

Showing great hands, Peter Sejna walked around a Czech defenseman in the twelfth minute and got off a nice attempt that didn't click.

The Slovaks opened the scoring at 13:19 with Martin Straka in the box when Satan got his stick on a Robert Svehla point shot rebound and tucked it home.

At the 15:00 mark, Richard Zednik grabbed the puck in the neutral zone and burst in down the middle, but Vokoun foiled his attempt.

The Czechs came right back just 30 seconds later, with Jan Hlavac snaring a loose puck off Tomas Kaberle's soft shot from the blueline and managing to trickle it through Lasak for a 1-1 tie.

A magnificent passing play during a Slovak man advantage restored their lead with 57 seconds left in the period. Visnovsky dished off to his blueline partner Martin Strbak, who fed Stumpel in the slot, and he fired a quick shot past Vokoun.

Lasak made two magnificent saves at the buzzer, stretching to deny Jiri Hudler on the doorstep and blocking a rebound attempt.

But Pavol Demitra took a cross-checking penalty on the play, and that opened the door for Czech captain Robert Reichel to even the score at 2-2 just 37 seconds into the middle frame. Reichel came off the right boards, took aim and slapped a long one that found the back of the net.

It was more trouble for Slovakia on the ensuing Czech man advantage, as they tested Lasak down low, forcing the Slovak netminder to make a series of great saves.

But Bondra put the Slovaks up 3-2 at 5:20 when he took a pass from Demitra and zoomed into the Czech zone to hammer a rising slapshot from the faceoff circle over Vokoun's glove.

The Slovaks continued to bring good pressure through the rest of the period, with Demitra and Satan buzzing in the offensive zone. Ladislav Nagy had a nice chance with five minutes remaining when he wheeled out from behind the net and flung a shot at Vokoun that skittered out the other side of the crease.

A minute later, the Bondra-Palffy-Stumpel line zipped down on a rush that Palffy nearly managed to convert with a shot aimed for Vokoun's five-hole.

The Czechs tried to get back in the game early in the third period, with Miroslav Hlinka coming down left wing and putting a shot off the crossbar.

After Jaroslav Spacek took a minor for interference at 2:05, Czech Head Coach Slavomir Lener called a timeout to try and regroup his troops. When the Slovaks were penalized, the Czech started peppering Lasak's net but never found the target.

The teams tightened up after the Czech Republic's inability to score during a subsequent penalty to Slovakia's Vladimir Orzsagh, but the Slovaks started to come on during the final 10 minutes. Palffy and Stumpel botched a glorious chance on a 2-on-1 in the thirteenth minute.

Bondra had a golden opportunity to seal the deal in close on Vokoun with just over five minutes left, but the Czech goalie slid across with his glove up and foiled the try.

With 2:29 left in the game, an unmolested Demitra took a slick pass in the slot from Satan, faked out Vokoun and slid the puck through his legs to make it 4-2.

In the final minute, Demitra and Satan nearly hooked up for one more, but Vokoun was there to block Satan's rebound attempt from the Demitra shot off the end boards.

Exultant Slovak fans were up and dancing in the final seconds before their team clinched victory, waving their national colors. The Slovak team gathered in the corner to the right of Lasak's net for its traditional bouncy group celebration hug.

Final shots favored Slovakia 25-21.

The Player of the Game for Slovakia was defenseman Robert Svehla, who played his last match today before heading into retirement. For the Czechs, it was Tomas Kaberle.

IIHF President Rene Fasel hung the bronze medals around the neck of the smiling Slovaks, who high-fived one another as they received their honors.

The Slovak national anthem played while the team was still posing for its group photo, but they eventually got up together and linked arms proudly as the final chords resounded. Then they savored a last victory lap, waving to their fans as they went by.

It was a moment none of them will ever forget.

[RIO]

Yay Canada!!! Way to hustle Anson!! *big applause* :D

[Shell]

http://images.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/_photos/2003-05-11-front-carter.jpg

[SouthernHockeyChick]

What an awesome picture Shell!!! Thanks for posting that!

[Turbulence]

Great picture...must have been an exciting goal for Canada's Alternate Captain.

I just wish we had some coverate of it here in the States... :mad:

[drwFischerFan2]

Here's another picture of the Canadian team I thought was kinda cool
http://www.thehtc.com/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=6125

[AbNormal27]

First my wife gets me a Ron Francis jersey, and then my boys bring home a World Championship! Man, what a birthday! Way to go guys! This little tradition of putting money on the ice seems to work well.

Aaryn

[nccanes]

Nice article about Carter from the Globe and Mail. I forget, what's his contract status this summer?

Anson Carter
By JEFF GRAY
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
Toronto — Anson Carter's story is as Canadian as you can get.

The son of immigrant parents from Barbados, he wobbles onto the ice for the first time as an eight-year-old in a Scarborough rink. Twenty years later, the NHL star scores a heart-stopping overtime goal to win gold for Canada at the world championships.

Hockey seemed his destiny even before he was born. His parents, Valma and Horace Carter, left for their new country in 1967 — arriving in Toronto just in time for the Maple Leafs' last Stanley Cup win.

"We didn't even know what we were celebrating," Mrs. Carter said.

But the family quickly became hooked on hockey, and as their three children grew up, spending Saturday night in front of the TV became a family ritual.

Anson, the middle child, often played road hockey with the neighbourhood kids. But when he actually got on the ice, it was a less-than-auspicious start.

"We used to call him the Zamboni," Mrs. Carter said of her son's tendency to slide across the ice, somewhat like the ice-cleaning machine.

"He was always on his buttocks," Horace added, chuckling.

By the end of that first year, however, Anson was the leading scorer on his team, his mother said.

On Sunday, Anson Carter's overtime goal helped Canada defeat Sweden 3-2 and ignited a frenzy of interest in the dreadlocked 28-year-old New York Ranger, whose distinctive mop of hair — grown on a bet while with the Edmonton Oilers — is tucked up in a custom-made helmet when he's on the ice.

Anson, who has also played for the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals, previously played for Canada in the 1997 world championship victory, and on the 1994 world junior gold-medal winning team.

The Carters' comfortable suburban living room — decorated with dozens of family photos and a framed shot of Anson in his old Edmonton uniform — has been invaded by so many TV crews over the past two days that Anson's mother has lost count.

"It is crazy. Oh my God, I don't want all this publicity," Mrs. Carter said — smiling as she went through some old hockey pictures of her son.

The publicity, of course, comes not just because of the dramatic goal in Helsinki on Mother's Day, confirmed after an agonizing wait as officials consulted videotape to check that the puck had indeed crossed the goal line.

It also comes because of Anson's story — one of a handful of black players in the NHL, and with a family that came to Canada knowing cricket bats, not hockey sticks. (There are a few other NHLers with Barbadian, or Bajan, backgrounds, including Carolina goalie Kevin Weekes, a friend of Anson's who grew up in the same area.)

Long-time friend Omar Magré said Anson's decision to stick with hockey — seen by some as a white sport — over basketball or football earned him some ribbing at Agincourt Collegiate Institute, a school where there are now awards named after the "A" student.

"You know: 'Why do you play hockey? That's a white sport' — it didn't faze him one bit," said Mr. Magré, 26, a graduate student in neuroscience at the University of Toronto.

He said his friend is an ambassador for hockey because of his playing, and because he is a "born leader" — not just because of his ethnicity.

As Anson himself told Sports Illustrated in 1999: "I know that people see what they see, and they see that I'm different. But I don't play the game any special way because I'm a black man."

"He's unbelievable. He's one of a kind. He's a hero on and off the ice . . . He's one of these guys you read about, but you always think that there has to be some flaw — but I have never found one yet," Mr. Magré said.

Mr. Magré says a big part of Anson's character comes from his "broughtupsies" — Bajan slang for what his family taught him growing up. And certainly, the Carters seemed to have been the most supportive family imaginable.

Valma worked for the Ontario government, while Horace worked for Revenue Canada — both are retired. They persuaded Anson not to quit hockey for baseball at 16. And they supported his dream of taking a full scholarship at Michigan State University so he could enrol in pre-med studies there.

His dream of becoming a doctor soon faded. But the dream of playing in the NHL — nurtured by coaches in Scarborough while he played in minor hockey for the Agincourt Lions, the Triple AAA Don Mills Flyers and the Junior-A Wexford Raiders — lived on.

And his parents, after years of early morning practices and thousands of dollars in equipment and ice-time fees, drove down to Michigan every weekend for his university home games. They even bought a $3,000 satellite dish to watch him on the road.

"They loved the game. Wherever we went — there was a lot of tournaments in those days, a lot of travel — they never missed a beat. They were always there for him," said Peter MacInnis, president of the Don Mills Flyers, where Anson played during his early teens.

Despite Toronto's multicultural mix, Mr. MacInnis said the Don Mills Flyers teams still have just a couple of black players a year — something that may have to do with the growing expense of putting a child in competitive hockey, which can run $3,000 to $4,000 a year.

"I think the problem probably for a lot of them is affordability. And not only for people of colour, I think hockey just generally is getting very expensive today for most families," he said, adding that perhaps the government should do something, maybe bring in tax breaks or boost funding, for youth sports.

Never far from the story of a black hockey player is the issue of racism — but people close to Anson say it is a non-issue for him.

His mother says he doesn't tell her about any on-ice racial taunts. "He wouldn't come and tell us about that — he doesn't think it's important," she said.

At Michigan, he once received an e-mail from someone telling him to "go back to the projects," his mother said, and police were called. Anson told her about it only because he wasn't sure what the message even meant, she said, "projects" being a U.S. term.

Anson was making $2.4-million (U.S.) a year as the Oilers' top scorer before being traded to the struggling Rangers in March. But his high-school friend says the hockey star hasn't lost touch with where he comes from, although he now trains in Los Angeles for the summer.

"He hasn't forgotten his roots. He wants home-cooked Bajan food, he loves Caribana, he listens to reggae music," said Mr. Magré, who came with his family to Canada from Kenya when he was 13.

Hockey, he said, ended up breaking down barriers between kids in Scarborough with different ethnic backgrounds.

"The U.S. has the melting pot, we have hockey . . . It's the thing that brings us together and makes us all Canadian."

[Shell]

Nice article about Carter from the Globe and Mail. I forget, what's his contract status this summer?

Carter and his $2.4 million salary join an ever-growing Rangers payroll that expanded last month when New York traded for Alexei Kovalev. Carter's contract expires after this season.